Halftime sizzling takes: Warriors lead Celtics by 1 in Finals rematch

Dimension Benefit: Even with out the Warriors opting to start out small, the Celtics are the larger crew, and so they correctly exploited that benefit in Video games 1 and three of the Finals final yr. Tonight, they made it some extent to assault the basket, with 10 of their 11 first-quarter area objectives coming within the paint. Boston’s success this season has centered round its three-point taking pictures, however tonight, their pounding of the paint made Steve Kerr second guess his choice of not beginning Kevon Looney. Robert Williams dominated the top of the half, scoring 9 factors within the remaining two-and-a-half minutes.

Horford’s Begin: Al Horford asserted himself from the opening tip, scoring 10 factors and grabbing 5 rebounds in his first eight minutes of play. Leveraging his dimension in opposition to smaller Golden State entrance line, Horford twice made the “too small” gesture, which I’ve by no means seen him do. He clearly was not nicely versed in it, as his hand barely went beneath his waist, and he didn’t look snug doing it (he’s gotta watch some Patrick Beverley movie). He additionally had this excellent block on what regarded like a particular Jordan Poole layup:

Brogdon from the bench: Malcolm Brogdon has been on hearth within the 2023 calendar yr, and with him within the recreation, the Celtics went on a 13-2 run to open the 2nd quarter, as he hit two threes and grabbed 4 rebounds. If he retains up his sturdy play for a couple of extra weeks, he’ll set up himself because the frontrunner for sixth Man of the 12 months.

Warriors Saved by the Deep Ball: Golden State had a brick-tastic first half, however the three-ball saved them shut. The Warriors shot underneath 30 % from two-point vary however having two of the NBA’s biggest long-range shooters ensures that slumps don’t final lengthy. Klay Thompson hit 4 3’s, three of which got here from the appropriate wing. After a sluggish begin to the season, Klay has come alive over the previous month, and tonight has the sensation of him going for 40. Steph Curry didn’t have a very memorable first half (moreover his final shot), however that doesn’t make the Celtics any much less fearful of him.