Celtics 4-10 Warriors, 9:09, first quarter
Brown searches Williams in the street. Green hits a layup. Brown then overturned the ball. Wiggins gets a jumper in the paint and looks like it’s the beginning of all warriors.
Celtics 2-6 Warriors, 10:01, 1st quarter
Brown first scored for the Celtics, followed shortly by an answer from Wiggins. Draymond Green is called for an early foul, smart fouling. Boston cannot score in their possession. Curry hits a layoff for Golden State.
opening tip
Celtics 0-2 Warriors, 11:42, 1st quarter
The Warriors won the starting tip. Porter starts off with a layup.
national anthem
Today’s singer? Another Santana veteran: singer Tony Lindsay. No frills, big bang sound, very smooth delivery. 7/10.
The real MVP of this series is the one who is choosing the Gang Starr songs playing to appropriately transition from the ABC pregame show to broadcast. RIP Guru.
Michael Wilbon also has Warriors with 120 points today. So at least I’m in good company, even if my prediction doesn’t come true.
The Golden State Warriors are starting the lineup
Andrew Wiggins, F
Otto Porter Jr., F
Drummond Green, c/f
Clay Thompson, G
Stephen Curry, Mr.
With Kevon Looney on the bench instead of Draymond Green, it’s an interesting move from the Warriors, but one imagines Looney playing opening-type minutes. Porter, however, has had a stellar series, and has earned him early honors.
Boston is launching the Celtics lineup
Jason Tatum, g/f
Al Horford, F
Robert Williams, CA
Jaylen Brown, f/g
Marcus Smart, G
jason tatum
If this series was supposed to be Jason Tatum vs. Steph Curry, clearly it’s not really a competition. Tatum has been alternating between good games and subpar, something that’s partly due to how the Warriors are defending him.
Stephen A. Smith is going here on the prediction that Curry might win the finals MVP even in a losing attempt. It’s as good as any time to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the greatest sports-related tweet of all time. all the time.
PF Chang’s waiter: “[Recites specials] Stephen A. Smith: (acts astonishingly) “To me, that’s absurd. Crab Rangoon, things of that nature.”
— David Roth (@david_j_roth) 13 June 2012
acting news
We have our executives for the game and Celtics fans might not be too happy with that.
predictions
Hey, this is the perfect setup for this next update! Thanks, Ross!
Before the series even started, I predicted Warriors in 6. Right now, it looks like it’s going to be game seven, but since my prediction is still in play, I’m bound to stick with it. So it means that today the Warriors have won. Maybe this time we have an overtime thriller, looks like this series deserves one of them. Warriors 120-114 Celtics.
Agree with this? disagree? email or Tweet With us your pick!
Email from Richard Hurst:
hi hunter
Question from a British man who doesn’t know much about basketball and has been following it since he became a GSW pro because of Steve Kerr: how important is home advantage in general, as evidence from this series shows that it Doesn’t matter, given that both teams have won and lost at home?
Usually it makes a big difference! Home teams feed off the energy of the crowd, officials favor them and they don’t have to deal with the hassle of being familiar with a different city and a different stadium.
It hasn’t really been a factor in this particular series, mostly because the Celtics are a really weird team that plays better on the road than at home. Just like they play better after defeat than after victory. I cover them for a living and even I don’t fully understand it.
Preface
The Boston Celtics had a golden opportunity to take a 3-1 NBA Finals lead on Friday, but Steph Curry had other ideas. Curry looked like Peak Curry in Game 4, dropping 43 points and collecting 10 rebounds in a performance that could have guaranteed him his first Finals MVP if the Warriors won two of the next three.
The Celtics had 16 turnovers in the competition, something that has been on par for them in these finals and, in fact, for this entire season. However, should they manage to fall short of Banner 18, Boston will have to watch and see if better ball safety will come as their core advantage or if they need a roster overhaul.
So far, the series has gone exactly as most of us could have predicted. The road team and the home team were able to lead 2–2 in the first four matches. When one side seemed to be simultaneously gaining momentum, the other retaliated. This final matchup was no fluke, these are two of basketball’s best teams. Now, we go into uncharted territory: one of these teams has to win two of the next three matches. There’s no tie here, but… who?
The Warriors have a home-court advantage but the Celtics are the best road team in the NBA. The Celtics are the more talented team, but the Warriors have managed to take advantage of their experience gap. Boston has the best defense, Golden State has the best players. Today’s Game 5 should clear things up, but its winner can’t rest as either team has the potential to win two straight against the other (even though the Celtics haven’t been beaten twice in a row this post season. Yes, there is no guarantee of invincibility).
We’d like to hear from you throughout today’s game. You can email us via [email protected] or tweet us at @HunterFelt and we’ll use your ideas in this liveblog. It’s Game 5 of the 2022 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors at Chase Center! The opening tip is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. EST (though it will probably be a little later than that) and we’ll be back with more updates before that.
nba finals schedule
Before we start this evening’s coverage, here’s how things have shaped up so far — and what’s to come with the series tied 2-2.
Game 1: Boston Celtics 120-108 Golden State Warriors. The Celtics used a massive fourth quarter to defeat the Warriors in the first quarter of the series.
Game 2: Boston Celtics 88-107 Golden State Warriors. Jordan Poole’s halfcourt buzzer-beater polished off a dominant Warriors win over the Celtics.
Game 3: Golden State Warriors 100-116 Boston Celtics. Boston went into a 2–1 series lead thanks to strong performances from their core players.
Game 4: Golden State Warriors 107-97 Boston Celtics. Stephen Curry was on his toes with 43 points to take the series 2-2.
Game 5: Tonight at 9 p.m. ET in the Golden State. (TV: ABC in the US).
Game 6: Thursday, June 16 at 9 p.m. ET in Boston. (TV: ABC in the US).
Game 7 (if needed): Sunday June 19 at 8 p.m. at the Golden State. (TV: ABC in the US).