BSJ NBA Finals Game 6 Report: Warriors 103, Celtics 90 - Celtics can't keep up with the champs

Everything you need to know about the Boston Celtics' loss to the Golden State Warriors in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, with BSJ insight and analysis

IN A NUTSHELL

The Celtics came out flying high, putting together a 12-2 run to start the game, but once again turnovers and the Warriors' bench killed Boston’s momentum. Golden State whipped off a 21-0 run that started at the 2:28 mark of the first and carried into the 10:13 mark of the second. The Celtics fell behind by as many as 19 as they turned it over 9 times in the second quarter, but recovered a little to get it to 15 by halftime. Al Horford came out of the half hitting, but so did the Warriors, who hit six 3-pointers to hold the Celtics off. Horford would not be denied, though, scoring 12 points in the quarter to help the C’s shave 5 points off the lead. The Warriors tried to give the game away in the 4th, but the Celtics never quite could take advantage. The only shots the Warriors seemed to make were answers to the few Boston could put down. Steph Curry scored 34 and was the Finals MVP for the World Champion Golden State Warriors. 

Box Score

HEADLINES

Same story: The Celtics once again played fine defense, giving up 103 points. That should be enough to beat the Warriors. But once again, they had 23 turnovers. And even though they got more points off 17 Warriors turnovers (27-20), that's 23 possessions that Boston didn’t get. The Celtics actually shot better (42.5% to 41.3%) overall and were close from deep (39.3% to 41.3%). It’s just that Golden State got 12 more shots overall and took 18 more 3-pointers. 

Well, it was a good run: I’m going to stay out of the comments because a lot of feelings are going to be pouring out and a lot of them will probably be overreactions. That's fine, that's what we’re here for. But while everyone commiserates in the comments, I’ll have the luxury of keeping the level head and appreciating what this team did this season. 

This is a frustrating loss for sure. There are a lot of valid criticisms of the team after this, but there is also a lot to be optimistic about. The fact that this squad, after the start they had, got to this point, is kind of amazing.

TURNING POINT

The Celtics made one more push with a Grant Williams and-1 cutting it to 9, but the Warriors kept answering each of Boston’s shots until Steph Curry hit Boston with a layup and 3-pointer to make it 15 again with 3:17 to go and put the game away. 

TWO UP

Al Horford: He had a monster second half scoring 15 points on 4-5 shooting from 3. He was the epitome of refusing to lose, and for a long stretch, it seemed like he was going to keep Boston just close enough for them to snatch a surprise win. 

Jaylen Brown: He joined Horford with a huge second half, with 20 of his 34 coming after the half. He did have 5 turnovers, though, as those struggles continued. 

FIVE DOWN

Jayson Tatum: A rough game for him, scoring just 13 points on 6-18 shooting. He did have 7 assists, but he struggled so much on his drives, mostly throwing up what looked to be hopeful shots. 

Marcus Smart: Just 9 points on 4-12 shooting for Smart. He did have 9 assists, but he was beaten too regularly defensively. 

Derrick White: A brutal -26 in this game. All the magic from his earlier performance evaporated after Game 1. 

Grant Williams: He had a rough series. Boston's bench was a no-show for most of these six games. Williams was such an important part of getting here, but he could never find any footing against the Warriors on either side. 

Payton Pritchard: A really rough time for him to lose his shooting touch. 

TOP PLAYS

ONE KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

- The better team won

We can say what we want about the turnovers, missed shots, and whatever else, but the bottom line is the Celtics lost in six games to the better team. 

The Warriors didn’t let their mistakes turn into cascading messes. They kept their poise when Boston couldn't. They made shots when Boston couldn't. The Celtics had their chances, but they could never capitalize. The Warriors seemed to cash in most of the time. 

The Celtics sullenly took to the podium and dutifully answered questions after the loss, and it was clear just how much this hurt them. They struggled with a lot on the floor and played their worst series of the playoffs, and they are paying a price. 

“It's going to hurt. It will hurt for a while. Probably that stuff never goes away. I've lost one before,” Ime Udoka said. “That was part of the message. Let it propel us forward, the experience. Growth and progress that we made this season. Obviously, getting to your ultimate goal and fall a few games short is going to hurt. There are a lot of guys in there, very emotional right now.”

This is a hard lesson to learn, but there's a difference between having chances and taking advantage of them. The better team does the latter.