In Game 3 of the 2022 NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics defeated the Golden State Warriors last night in Massachusetts. The win gives the Celtics a 2-1 lead in the series, which could prove to be significant. Historically, the team that is leading the series after Game 3 has gone on to win the championships over 80 percent of the time.
However, this series is nevertheless far from over. There have been teams who have come back from such deficits. and the Warriors themselves should understand this better than most. Back in their historical 73-9 season, they were beating Cleveland in the 2016 NBA Finals, 2-1, and even went on to win Game 4 to seemingly take a stranglehold on the series. Only, they never won another game, as the Cleveland Cavaliers, led by LeBron James, came storming back to win the series and deny the Warriors a shot at what likely would have been considered the greatest season in NBA history.
For their part, the Warriors seemed confident that they could still win the series, and that it was far from over. That kind of confidence is the benefit of this being their sixth NBA Finals appearance overall in the past eight seasons. Golden State knows enough not to panic, one would think.
Still, the urgency is stepped up. Right now, the Celtics certainly appear to be the stronger team. A win in Game 4 would really push the Warriors to the brink of elimination, despite a great season. Right now, it is not clear that they have the answer to Boston's suffocating defense late in games. It seems like the Warriors make some strong runs at times, and it appears that they are about to take over the game, only to see the Celtics clamp down with a mixture of tough defense and huge shots made at the best times.
One way or the other, it has been an entertaining series, and feels still unpredictable. That might start to be considerably less the case should the Celtics win Game 4 in Boston and take a commanding 3-1 series lead. But that is definitely not a certainty, as the Warriors have plenty of championship experience, and they should know how to respond.
Should be fun to watch, one way or another!
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