Warriors forward Draymond Green conceded that while some of the Celtics less-heralded players shot the lights out in game one of the NBA finals, they’d do the same things again in defence if given the chance.
While Boston’s best player Jayson Tatum had an off night, it was left to the likes of Al Horford and Derrick White to make a combined 12 three-pointers as Boston blew Golden State off the park in a lopsided fourth quarter.
Green said that in every loss, something has to beat you – and they may have just been unlucky.
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“Derrick White hadn’t shot the ball from three extremely well throughout the playoffs, nor historically throughout his career,” Green said on his podcast the morning after the loss.
White hit a deep three with Steph Curry tightly guarding him to tie the game at 103-103 with a few minutes left, before Boston kicked away in the dying stages.
“What we do know is that he’s capable – and obviously, the world knows he’s capable since watching the game last night,” Green said.
“Some of the threes he hit last night … I think three out of the five threes that he made were right over people, right in his face.’
White finished with 21 points on 6-11 shooting, making five of his eight three-point attempts.
Horford, also not known for his deep shooting ability, shot six from eight from downtown.
“When things like that happen, you have to live with that – at the end of the day, something has to beat you and you’re going to pick, in an NBA game, what is more likely to not beat you,” Green said.
“You know Jayson Tatum can beat you, you know Jaylen Brown can beat you.”
It’s unlikely that Horford and White will shoot that well again, but given it was sort of balanced out by Tatum’s 3-17 shooting performance, Boston are now rightfully the favourites to go on and win the title.
Game two is at 10am Monday morning, AEST.
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