Celtics’ NBA Finals Game 1 victory sees record performances on both sides

Within a few short minutes, Game 1 of the NBA Finals went from a Golden State drubbing to a Boston avalanche of points in a shocking 120-108 victory for the Celtics. 

Boston outscored Golden State 40-16 in the final period, knocking down the first seven 3-point attempts they took, as Boston quickly grabbed home-court in the series. 

After a rock-throwing contest in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat, the new age of NBA basketball was on full display Thursday night, as 3-point attempts rained down at Chase Center. 

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In the first quarter alone, both teams combined to take 25 3-pointers, making 12 shots from beyond the arc, setting the tone early for how this series will be played. 

Warriors point guard Steph Curry quickly reminded everyone just how great of a shooter he is, knocking down six 3’s in the first quarter, scoring 21 points in the frame. 

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The six 3’s from Curry in the first 12 minutes set an NBA Finals record for the most made 3’s in an NBA Finals quarter, and his 21 points was the most in a single NBA Finals quarter since Michael Jordan in 1993.

Both teams combined to take 86 shots from beyond the arc, with Golden State finishing the night 19-45 from three and Boston ended the game 21-41 from deep. According to CBS Sports, the 21 3-pointers made by Boston is the second most in NBA Finals history. 

The 40 combined 3-point makes set an NBA Finals record for the most made 3-pointers in a single game. 

“The message at the start of the fourth was, ‘We’ve been here before,'” first team All-NBA selection Jayson Tatum said after the game. “We know what it takes to overcome a deficit like that. Obviously that’s a great team, it’s not gonna be easy.” 

“But just knowing that we’ve been in that situation before. And we’ve gotten ourselves out of it. And we had a lot of time left, right? It wasn’t time to hang your head or be done. It was time to figure it out.”

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The 3-point barrage is likely to continue as the NBA Finals progress, starting with Game 2 Sunday night at 9 ET.