Category: Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) high fives teammate guard Gary Payton II (0) in second quarter action at TD Garden in Boston on Thu Jun 15, 2022 in game 6 of the NBA Finals (AP News photo)

On Golden State Warriors podcast with Barbara:

The Golden State Warriors put away their fourth NBA title in eight years, with a defeat over the Boston Celtics at TD Garden in Boston on Thursday night 103-90. There was no stopping Warrior guard Stephen Curry who scored 34 points and receive the NBA Finals trophy for the Finals MVP.

The win awarded Golden State their seventh franchise trophy since winning their first one back in the 1974-75 season. After winning five straight championships the Warriors cooled off for three season which included a season worst for them three seasons ago.

For Warriors head coach Steve Kerr it was his ninth championship overall including five times as a player, his sixth as a head coach and his fourth title as coach of the Warriors.

Barbara Mason was the Golden State Warriors beat writer for the 2021-22 season at http://www.sportsradioservice.com. Also our thanks for to Jerry Feitelberg and David Zizmor for their podcasts on Warriors basketball this season.

Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins, middle, shoots against Boston Celtics guard Derrick White, left, and center Al Horford during the first half of Game 5 at Chase Center in San Francisco on Mon Jun 13, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the NBA Finals/Golden State Warriors podcast with David:

#1 David, talk a little about game 5 as the Golden State Warriors move up on the Boston Celtics 3-2 and could finish the finals off on Thursday night to win the championship.

#2 Dave, what was the key to the Celtics shutting Stephen Curry down in game 5 they held him to only 16 points but while the double teaming worked the Warriors Andrew Wiggins led with 26 points.

#3 Just how tough will it be for Golden State to win game 6, the Celtics have been tough at home, they have one of the best defenses in the NBA and they have that crowd that’s been on Draymond Green all series long.

David did the Warriors podcasts throughout the 2022-23 season and will return with Headline Sports on Wednesdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (36) drives around the Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) as the Celtics forward Jaylen Brown (0) puts on a block during first half action at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Mon Jun 13, 2022 (AP News photo)

Warriors Take Series Lead Beating Boston 104-94

By Barbara Mason

It has come down to a game five for the Golden State Warriors and while this is not mathematically a must win, the team does not want to go back to Boston trailing in the series. They won’t have to worry about that after putting away the Celtics with a ten point 104-94 win to go up 3-2 in the series on Monday night at Chase Center.

The Warriors came out with a vengeance in the first quarter leading after 12 minutes 27-16. The Warriors only had two turnovers to the Boston Celtics four and Golden State’s defense was absolutely terrific to start the game. Draymond Green had a great start and the familiar fire was back.

The Celtics started to heat up in the second quarter and it only took Boston three and a half minutes to cut the Warriors lead in half. The Celtics began to hit shots and organize putting Golden State a bit out of rhythm.

Everything that went right in the first quarter came to a screeching halt in the second quarter. In the final four minutes of the quarter the Warriors got back on track leading at the half 51-39 in this roller coaster of a game. Andrew Wiggins was the high scorer for the half with 16 points and a nice defensive effort with seven rebounds. After a slow start Stephen Curry finished the half with 10 points.

Jaylen Brown was two of ten in the half and the Warriors were doing a great job containing him. The Celtics had nine turnovers which really hurt them. Golden State had to keep the pressure on in the second half.

Boston flipped the switch to start the third quarter. They scored five unanswered baskets and cut Golden State’s lead to two points in less than two minutes. At 6:49 the Celtics had tied the game at 55. The first lead of the game for Boston came at 6:27 and the Warriors were barely hanging on in this game. Golden State was able to take back the lead, albeit a slim one, 75-74 as the third quarter came to an end.

Golden State came in with great energy in the fourth quarter and with under four minutes left in the game the Warriors had a 93-82 point lead. In game four it was the Curry show and in game five Andrew Wiggins took over with 26 points and an amazing 13 rebounds. The final was 104-94 and Golden State had taken a 3-2 series lead going back to Boston.

It was a tough night for Curry. He went 0-9 from downtown and finished with 16 points. You could see the disappointment etched on his face but his teammates rallied around him and they lifted the team to their first series lead. Klay Thompson had 21 points and Draymond Green had a great defensive game and finished with eight points.

This was the first time that Boston had lost back to back games. The Warriors put together some great quarters and when push came to shove they finished this game. The Warriors didn’t come this far just to come this far and they played like it. There were some ebb and flow moments but they rode it out to get within one game of being the world champions.

Game six will be in Boston on Thursday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:00 PM.

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) winces in pain as Boston Celtics point guard Marcus Smart (36) is landing on Curry’s leg with the Celtics center Al Horford (41) is reaching underneath Curry and Warriors shooting guard Jordan Poole (3) tries to reach underneath Holford for the battle of the basketball during game 3 at TD Garden in Boston on Wed Jun 5, 2022. Curry recovered in game 4 scoring 43 points (Sports Illustrated photo)

On the Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason:

#1 Barbara, how much of a concern will it be for the Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry who hurt his leg in game 3 in Boston and has he recovered well enough that he can start game 5 tonight at Chase Center?

#2 The Boston Celtics who have won two of the four games played in this tied up series 2-2 are noted for their strong defense how much pressure is on the Celtics to execute the defense and shut down the Curry and Thompson.

#3 Barbara now talk about how much pressure is on the Curry and Thompson to tally points and keep scoring down on the defensive end to a minimum to stay ahead of the Celtics.

#4 Barbara, take a listen to what the Celtics Jaylen Brown said that the Celtics are taking a lot of positives out of anything saying that the team could be in a better position but being 2-2 is nothing to sneeze about either and that the Celtics can learn from their mistakes and improve on them starting tonight in game 5.

#5 Barbara any concern before tonight’s game the Celtics have had better luck in the playoffs away from home than they have at TD Garden. Do you see any advantage for the Celtics tonight on the road in San Francisco for game 5?

Join the Warriors podcasts with host Barbara Mason Mondays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry is exhaulted after things move in the right direction in the fourth quarter against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden in game 4 of the NBA Finals (AP News photo)

On the NBA Finals Warriors podcast:

#1 Stephen Curry led the way for the Golden State Warriors with 43 points in game four on Friday night at TD Garden in Boston. Curry was instrumental in the Warriors tying the series at 2-2 and avoiding coming back to San Francisco down 3-1.

#2 Curry teammate Klay Thompson said Curry carried the team on his back and on Monday night at Chase Center the team needs to reciprocate and help Curry out.

#3 Dave with game five now in San Francisco on Monday night and the series tied at 2-2 how much pressure is it on the Boston Celtics to win this one and how much pressure is on Golden State to stay head of Boston before going back to TD Garden for game six.

Dave Zizmor does Warrior podcasts during the NBA Finals at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Boston Celtics center Robert Williams III (44) passes the ball against Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) in NBA Finals action game 4 at TD Garden in Boston on Fri Jun 10, 2022 (AP News photo)

Warriors Tie Up Series 2-2 Beating Celtics 107-97

By Barbara Mason

The Golden State Warriors took a brief lead in the third quarter of game three but couldn’t handle the size of the Boston Celtics as well as Boston’s home crowd. Klay Thompson had a 25 point game and scored 18 points in game four on Friday night’s in Golden State’s game 4 win over the Celtics 107-97.

Jordan Poole was off in game three and Draymond Green admitted in his podcast that he let the crowd and the game atmosphere get to him. Of course the Golden State coaching staff would put together a plan to contain Jason Tatum and Jaylon Brown but the Warriors needed a lot of help from Poole, Wiggins and Thompson.

The Celtics held a one point lead after one quarter. Again Golden State got a bit of a slow start something that has haunted them throughout these playoffs. At the half Boston held a 54-49 lead in a hotly contested game.

At the end of the third quarter the Warriors led 79-78. Robert Williams III continued to be a problem with 12 rebounds and Tatum, Brown and Marcus Smart were having a good offensive game. The Warriors would have to pull out all the stops to win this game.

Golden State did just that in the fourth quarter. They fought for every possession in the final quarter and their persistence paid off. In the final minutes they began to pull away and finished off this game 107-97.

Stephen Curry had a brilliant game with 43 points and it was Curry to the rescue willing his team to the win. He was seven of 14 from downtown with ten rebounds. The Warriors still await Thompson and Poole to come unleashed in game five.

The Warriors are hopeful Kevon Looney will start the next game. Another big moment were the 16 rebounds and 17 points from Andrew Wiggins.

Golden State did just enough to win this game and now this series is tied coming back to Chase Center in game five. The team will need all hands on deck for the remainder of this series.

“This was big big for our team. I am just thankful for everyone on this team. We knew how big this game was. We do this together,” said Curry after the game.

“This is the strongest he has ever been in his career,” said Head Coach Steve Kerr of Curry. “Everybody was emotional tonight. We needed more physicality than we had in game three.” he said.

Monday evening the Warriors will be back at Chase Center for Game Five. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:00 PM.

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30), forward Draymond Green (23), and owner Joe Lacob in blue sport jacket seated in the front row all look disappointed after looking at the scoreboard in the third quarter against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden in Boston on Wed Jun 8, 2022 (AP News photo)

Boston Tops Golden State In Game Three 116-100

By Barbara Mason

Wednesday night the Golden State Warriors took on the Boston Celtics in the third game of the NBA final series. This series was tied 1-1 with Boston taking the first game of the series and the Warriors taking game two.

Golden State played game 3 in Boston and dropped the contest 116-100. The Warriors needed to take at least one of those two games before returning back to Chase and will have another chance at the Celtics on Friday night.

After totally dominating Boston in game 2 the Warriors didn’t have that same energy in game 3 on Wednesday night. It was a given that Golden State would see a far different Celtic team from the one they saw in game two and sure enough the Celtics were prepared in this game 3.

Game 3 recap: Boston had a vastly improved offense and defense through the first two quarters. They totally dominated the first half. At one time they led by 18 points but the Warriors cut it to 68-56 at the half. Golden State was leaving too many open shots and the Celtics were taking full advantage. The Warriors offense was struggling making some poor shooting making choices.

It was not until 3:32 in the third quarter that the Warriors took the lead since they led 2-0 in the first quarter. The Celtics quickly got back on top but the Warriors remained within striking distance. Both Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry were having a great game trailing after three quarters 93-89.

Boston got back on track in the fourth quarter taking a 102-91 lead in the early minutes of the quarter. Turnovers in the fourth quarter were hurting Golden State and the fact that Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins and Curry all had four personals was also disconcerting.

Nothing could slow down the Boston Celtics in this game. They played a great offensive and defensive game. The Warriors only had two leads in the entire game. With two minutes left the Warrior bench finished the game.

Boston took a 2-1 series lead winning this game. Jalen Brown was the point leader with 27 points and Jason Tatum was close behind with 26. Both Marcus Smart and Al Horford had a greatly improved game.

Klay Thompson had a 25 point game and Curry was the point leader with 31 points but it was not enough to top the lights out shooting that the Celtics were operating with. Golden State collapsed in the fourth quarter.

They had six turnovers in the final quarter and the Warriors could not overcome the play of Boston. “The offensive rebounds were the killer. Those were tough,” said Head Coach Steve Kerr after the game.

Friday night the Warriors will try to even the series in Game Four at TD Garden in Boston. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:00 PM.

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (top left) is restrained by Boston Celtics Marcus Smart (36) while the Celtics Jaylen Brown (7) is restrained his teammate (left bottom) and an official (right bottom) during a first half altercation at the Chase Center in San Francisco in game 2 of the NBA Finals (AP News photo)

Warriors Take Game Two To Tie Series; Golden State holds off Boston to 14 pts in 3rd quarter to win 107-88

By Barbara Mason

Sunday night the Golden State Warriors met the Boston Celtics in Game Two of the NBA finals. Golden State gave up a third quarter lead in the first game of this championship series totally collapsing. It was a real meltdown.

They could ill afford to finish another game like this. The Celtics are young and feisty and will continue to give the Warriors all sorts of problems if they have another fourth quarter like they did in game one. Golden State had to start finishing games. The Warriors didn’t have to worry about such problems coming away with a convincing 107-88 game 2 victory to tie the series at 1-1.

The first and the second quarters could not have been closer. The Warriors won both quarters by a single point. The first quarter had Golden State in the lead 31-30 and the second 21-20. At the half the Warriors led by the slimmest of margins a 52-50 lead.

The third quarter really picked up for the Warriors. They were forcing turnovers and tonight the shots from downtown were falling a huge plus.

Once again we saw the Warriors finish the third quarter with a healthy lead, even healthier than in game one. The fourth quarter of this game would be one that they desperately needed to dominate. They couldn’t let this game slip away the way they did in the first game of this series. They led after three quarters 87-64. They had outscored Boston 35-14 in the third in total domination.

Golden State did not disappoint extending their lead throughout the fourth quarter. There would be no let down for the Warriors in this game. They were hitting their shots, forcing turnovers and going to the line through the third and fourth quarters. The final was 107-88.

The Warriors now head out on the road in Game Three at TD Garden Arena. The majority of the time the home team has an advantage however the Celtics did lose games one, three and five at home against the Heat before winning game seven.

This was true championship basketball for Golden State. The Warriors had 18 points off turnovers in this blowout. Warrior guard Stephen Curry finished with 29 points and off the bench Jordan Poole had 17 points. We still await Klay Thompson to assist with the heavy lifting. It just hasn’t happened yet.

In this game Golden State held Al Horford to two points and the same for Marcus Smart with a couple. Jason Tatum finished the game with 28 points but needed his supporting cast to do a whole lot more.

“We came out with the right defensive energy. We were a little more organized,” said Curry after the game. “It was a tough task. We got it back on track and now we’ll take it on the road. We gave ourselves life in this series. I am excited about it and hopefully we can take that energy on the road”.

One of the highlights of this game was the return of Gary Payton II. He played 25 minutes and a huge roar rose from the crowd when he hit his first shot. His return will be a real plus for the team going forward.

Game Three will take place at TD Garden in Boston Wednesday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:00 PM.