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When the Boston Celtics are in the NBA Finals, they rarely lose. And finishing the finals in Boston is virtually impossible.
The Celtics are 17-4 as they advance to the finals. That’s pretty impressive. Even more impressive is that the 1985 Los Angeles Lakers are the only visiting team to win the title on the Celtics’ home court.
Steve Kerr thinks you can add the Golden State Warriors to that list.
After beating the Celtics in Game 5 in San Francisco to take a 3-2 straight lead, the Warriors’ coach told his team in the post-game locker room, “We’re going to get that in Boston. We’re going to finish this in Boston.”
So-called bulletin board material may be irrelevant in the Finals, but it raised some eyebrows among the NBA pundits. How will the Celtics react?
USA TODAY Sports will provide live updates and analysis throughout the evening as Game 6 of the 2022 NBA Finals begins.
HOW TO WATCH GAME 6: Live Stream, TV Channels, Start Time, X Factors
Table of Contents
Should the Finals MVP be changed to Most Outstanding Player?
If the Golden State Warriors win Game 6 or Game 7 — maybe even if they lose too — Steph Curry is practically a ban from being named NBA Finals MVP.
This will mainly happen because he deserved it, despite playing a poor game by his standards in Game 5. It will also be a feel-good gesture for Curry, who probably should have won the 2015 Finals MVP rather than Andre Igoudala, who won the award after scoring 25 points in the final game and receiving plenty of credit for his defense against LeBron James . Reasonable minds can disagree on this stuff.
But one thing that would help add some historical clarity and consistency to the voting process would be to get rid of the *most valuable* player nomenclature and change it to *most outstanding* player in the series.
The value of an individual player in a basketball game, or in any team sport, is often difficult to assess and highly controversial. Identifying the best player in a series is much easier – and more appropriate.
The word “valuable” is an incentive for voters to think about it. For example, it’s pretty obvious that Curry was the best player in the series. It’s not particularly close, and that would be true whether the Warriors win or lose. But it’s also fair to say the Warriors would be in a position to end this if not for Andrew Wiggins, who has played immense roles on both sides of the floor and offensively made up the 26-point slack in Game 5, as Curry went 0-for-9 from the 3-point line.
In other words, the Warriors won the most important game of the series so far because Wiggins was the most important player. According to the criteria of the word valuable, it would not be unreasonable to give Wiggins a voice at this point.
– Dan clouds
Should Steph Curry become Finals MVP no matter which team wins?
If the Warriors were 3-2 behind and Boston had a chance to finish the game tonight, we might be debating whether Steph Curry could become MVP if his team didn’t win. It’s not hard to find examples where the most valuable player in a series could be on the losing team, but giving that person the MVP award would be highly controversial because the mere existence of that award suggests it’s going to someone should that winning team.
How about if we just called it the Most Outstanding Player award, in which case we would all have a more consistent understanding of how it should be voted on? Identifying the best player – win or lose – is a worthy idea.
– Dan clouds
Celtics haven’t lost three games in a row since December; will ‘fight back’
Even with their backs to the wall, the Celtics continue as usual.
When asked before the game whether the mood in the dressing room was angry or nervous, Celtics coach Ime Udoka didn’t flinch. His guys have been in that position before.
The Celtics’ loss in Game 5 on Monday marked their first loss of straight games this postseason. They have not lost three games in a row since December 25-29, 2021.
Boston has been a changed entity since then. The Celtics were 16-19 after the December 29 loss but found their step in the new year to finish the regular season 51-31 and went on to beat the Nets, Bucks and Heat in the playoffs. The Celtics were also trailing 3-2 in their series against the Bucks.
Udoka said the adversity early in the season gave the Celtics a “bounce-back ability” that helped them focus on details rather than get caught up in the big picture.
“We have short memories and that worked well for us and got it over with,” said Udoka. “And also being in those situations all year round where we had to fight our way back from a big hole earlier in the season, all those things bode well for us.”
—Richard Morin
Steph Curry ‘angry’ after 3-point drought, says Draymond Green
Steph Curry is trying to recover from a shooting slump in Game 5, in which he had 16 points, his lowest total in the NBA Finals. But that’s exactly the position Steve Kerr and Draymond want Green Curry in as the Warriors look to knock out the Celtics in Game 6 on Thursday.
“He was 0-to-9 from 3. He’ll be furious when he goes into Game 6,” Green said Monday. “That’s exactly what we need.”
Curry shot 7-of-22 from the field and a shocking 0-of-9 from 3-point range, ending a streak of 233 postseason and regular-season games he’s turned into a 3-point game.
“Even for the best shooter in the world, games like this happen,” Kerr said Monday. “And fortunately they don’t come up too often. I also like that Steph comes from a game like this. I like his ability to recover.”
Klay Thompson said the Warriors would never have to worry about Curry: ‘All I know is he’s going to react. He’s one of the biggest competitors I’ve ever seen. And he’s a perfectionist, like myself. I know he’ll think about the shots he missed. And that’s a good thing because hopefully on Thursday he’ll fall back to mean most of the time and it’s scary when he does that.
– Cydney Henderson
Jayson Tatum is the biggest X factor in Game 6 for the Celtics
Jayson Tatum has delivered a shaky streak so far, displaying moments of sheer brilliance while delivering vanishing acts in critical minutes.
In the fourth quarter of Game 5, Tatum had just five points on 1-on-5 shooting, in addition to a critical turnover. He also missed two free throws that could have reduced the Warriors’ lead to eight with five minutes remaining.
Celtics coach Ime Udoka said the Celtics need Tatum to “be aggressive and get the right reading” throughout the game. That starts with Tatum starting better and finishing strong. Fatigue might have been a factor, but Tatum will need to be consistent if the Celtics are to force a Game 7.
Could Andrew Wiggins challenge Steph Curry for Finals MVP?
At the close of trading in 2020, much was made of the Warriors’ trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves for Andrew Wiggins.
The Warriors acquired Wiggins and a 2021 first-round pick for D’Angelo Russell, Jacob Evans III and Omari Spellman.
Earlier this season, Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob said it was “one of the biggest deals, certainly maybe the biggest deal we’ve ever done.” He got a lot of approval. And the deal is looking better by the day.
Wiggins, who has offered stability for the first time in his career, is thriving enough that he could get some Finals MVP votes if he has another monster game to carry the Warriors.
“When he (Wiggins) first came here, and I’ll never forget it, it was when Thibs wasn’t with the Knicks, and Thibs said, ‘You’re going to love him. He starts. He’s defending,'” said Draymond Green after Game 5. “And he told us that Jimmy loved him. And we all know what Jimmy Butler is like.
ALL STAR: Former No. 1 pick Andrew Wiggins is finally fulfilling All-Star potential. Now he is aiming for the title with Warriors
ANDREW WIGGINS: Former No. 1 overall champion who had success with Warriors in the NBA Finals
OPINION: Andrew Wiggins enters the NBA Finals MVP discussion with another big win in Game 5
Steph Curry’s golf friends can join Game 6
Steph Curry has many friends in the professional golf scene. Many of them will play at the US Open in Brookline, Massachusetts – about 40 minutes away from TD Garden, where Curry is looking to take on the Celtics in Game 6.
Curry did not participate in any of the first rounds of the US Open, which began on Thursday. But Curry, who got a close look at the US Open Championship Trophy on Wednesday, expected to hear from some of his golf buddies.
“I have some friends on tour who will probably call me between now and next week if they get the early start time, early/late Thursday. We will see. Or Thursday/Friday, we’ll see,” he said earlier this week. “I’m not going out there. Obviously all my attention is on rest and recovery and prepare. But I will stand in front of the TV and make sure I watch as much of it as possible.”
