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The Golden State Warriors are a team that likes to impose its will on both ends of the court. But in Wednesday’s Game 3 of the 2022 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics, Golden State put forth a surprisingly uninspired effort on the defensive end on their way to a 116-100 loss at TD Garden.
The Warriors couldn’t get into a rhythm from the start of the game, especially after star point guard Stephen Curry was called for two quick fouls. The Celtics set out to attack Curry at every chance they got, putting pressure on him to defend while he tried to avoid picking up more fouls. Boston’s strategy worked to perfection as the aggressive strategy helped the team pound Golden State for 52 points inside the paint.
Curry put up a game-high 31 points, but he was called for four fouls. Draymond Green was noticeably quiet all game and eventually fouled out in the fourth quarter. Andrew Wiggins and Kevon Looney also tried to play through foul trouble, albeit unsuccessfully.
Fans and pundits online had a lot to say about the Warriors’ constant fouling and lackluster defensive effort.
Cyrus Saatsaz @DogSurfRoadshow
If the <a href=”https://twitter.com/warriors?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@warriors</a> lose this game it’s on Kerr. The team’s biggest strength is their depth and instead of giving GPII, Iguodala and Beli important minutes they’re virtually nowhere to be found. They’re getting killed on the glass and their defense has given up so many easy baskets.
The Warriors are best when they’re the hammer, but on Wednesday night, they were the nail. The Celtics threw a haymaker punch at the start of the game, and Golden State couldn’t quite recover.
Even after the Warriors went on their vintage third-quarter run to take a one-point lead, Boston pulled away again thanks to more defensive lapses by Golden State.
It will be imperative for the Warriors to return to the same level of intensity they played with in the first two games of the series. If Golden State comes out with another subpar effort in Friday’s Game 4, they could find themselves on the brink of elimination when the series heads back to the Bay Area.
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