The Celtics, in search of a record 18th title, struck hard from the start by winning Golden State the first round of the NBA Finals (120-108) on Thursday in San Francisco.

A performance all the more telling as the Warriors had not yet lost a home game during the play-offs.

The Massachusetts players therefore regain the advantage of the floor.

And this after a demonstration of collective skill in the award-winning shots (9/12, 21/41 in the end) in the last twelve minutes which knocked out the Californians.

“They made all their big shots in this quarter.

We must give them credit for this.

They were simply brilliant and deserved the victory,” admitted opposing coach Steve Kerr, whose team nevertheless had a fifteen-point lead in the third quarter, when they usually win their matches.

Boston's Tough Guys

But Boston knows how to win its own in the last, many of its victories in the play-offs have demonstrated it, and responded like in a boxing match, to inflict a 40/16 on the helpless and disgusted Warriors.

Jaylen Brown sounded the revolt at the very beginning of this period by scoring ten points in a row, 24 in total (7 rebounds, 5 assists), which made his people pick up the score.

Then the old grump Al Horford, the player who played the most play-off games (141), without ever going to the final until this year, took over by adding 11 points, to finish with 26 ( at 9/12, 6 rebounds).

Derrick White, wisely recruited in the last hours of the transfer window, scored 21 points, before Marcus Smart, after a small air hole, he who had held the Celtics house in the first period, also got started (18 pts) .

“Our players are tough guys and we can always know that we can count on our defense to pull ourselves together when necessary,” stressed their coach Ime Udoka.

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