The Golden State Warriors face a must-win in Beantown on Friday night, and some analysts such as Shannon Sharpe are already writing their obituary.
This comes on the heels of their 116-100 Game 3 loss to the Boston Celtics.
A game which saw the Warriors battle back from 18 points down to briefly take a one-point lead (83-82), only to be outscored 34-17 the rest of the way, sends some major alarms.
The Celtics are living in the paint off straight dribble penetration, as they know the Warriors don’t have enough size or athleticism to thwart them.
That has led many, including FS1’s Pro Football Hall of Famer, to say the Dubs are in trouble.
On Thursday’s episode of “Undisputed,” Sharpe had quite a few things to say. And not much of it was good for the Warriors. After some choppy outings in the first two games the Celtics put it all together on Wednesday in Boston.
“But last night, this was a total team win. You look at the production they got from top to bottom, your big guns show up, you got Marcus Smart and Al Horford chipping in for you , they’re going to be difficult to beat. I hate to break this to you, but you’re in a heap of trouble.”
Sharpe continued …
“I think it dawned on you last night when you were watching that game, and the shot clock was ticking down, you’re like, ‘What have I gotten myself into?’”
In Game 3, Boston had five players score in double figures led by the trio of Tatum, Brown and Smart, who combined for 77 points.
What was most noticeable was their advantage off the dribble and their overpowering size and athleticism around the rim that the Warriors had no answer for.
If the Celtics don’t have mental lapses and keep the turnovers down it’s going to be extremely difficult for Golden State to win this series.
Tatum And Brown Set Tone: No Dancing With The Basketball
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have been brilliant at times in these payoffs. When they’re at their best, they’re decisive and attacking the rim with ferocity.
When they’ve been awful it’s because they’ve fallen in love with the three-point shot, are constantly over-dribbling and playing in crowds too often.
There was none of that in Game 3, as they both came out with the mindset to attack the rim over and over. That opened it up for their supporting cast, and the Warriors had no answer. If these budding stars are going to continue to do this the Celtics are going to be hoisting their first Larry O’Brien trophy in 14 seasons.
Dynamic Duo 🔥 pic.twitter.com/kOT1TZQfPu
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) June 9, 2022
For the Warriors, Game 4 could present a do-or-die scenario. If they go down 3-1 the belief is they can’t win three consecutive games against this young, confident and gritty C’s team.
Only one time in NBA Finals history has a team come back from a 3-1 deficit, and the Warriors know all too well it can happen but is highly unlikely to.
Curry Needs Help: Supporting Cast Must Step-Up
The Warriors used to use the “Strength In Numbers” motto in reference to their team being so deep. That changed when the team signed Kevin Durant in 2016. Since then it’s been more of a seven- to eight-man rotation. Back then it was 9 to 10 guys playing valuable minutes.
This season it seemed to trending in that way once again, and even in the first three rounds of the playoffs it looked that way. But in the Finals head coach Steve Kerr has shortened his rotation, and it’s killing them.
With Klay Thompson struggling, although he shot it better in Game 3 (25 points on 8-17 and 5-12 from three), Draymond Green has an inefficient 15 points and 15 fouls through three games, and Curry (31.3 points per game) needs help.
Stephen has now made 5+ threes in all three games of the #NBAFinals
He's the only player in Finals history to have that kind of streak multiple times in his career 🎯 pic.twitter.com/1CqSrx0lFc
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) June 9, 2022
Andrew Wiggins has been solid, if not spectacular, but he’s expending so much energy guarding Brown and Tatum that it’s affecting his offense. Jordan Poole needs to step up, and maybe Kerr should play the freakishly athletic 19-year-old Jonathan Kuminga, whose size and athleticism can match that of Brown or Tatum.
Final 📊
Stephen – 31p/4r/2a/2s
Klay – 25p/3r/3a/1s/1b
Andrew – 18p/7r/2a/2s/2b
Jordan – 10p/3r/3a
Kevon – 6p/7r/3a
Otto – 6p/1r/4a/1s
Draymond – 2p/4r/3a/1b
Gary – 2p/1r/1a/1s
JK – 1r
Beli – 1a
Moses – 1b pic.twitter.com/ZzhgSD5Lje— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) June 9, 2022
Players need to step up like the Celtics’ supporting cast did in Games 1 and 3. If not, the Warriors could be heading back to the Bay down 3-1.
