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The Boston Celtics had a 2-1 lead over the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals and had a chance to take a commanding 3-1 lead at home in Game 4. Instead, the Celtics melted down as Stephen Curry erupted, resulting in a 2-2 series tie. Boston went on to lose the next two games to lose the Finals, with sloppy offense and a lot of turnovers playing a key role in the season's demise.
It was a tough way for the Celtics to go out after it seemed as if they had a team-of-destiny feel. They dominated the second half of the season, swept the Brooklyn Nets and then won two Game 7s. But in the end, too many mistakes and the Warriors' greatness proved to be too much to overcome.
Celtics star Jaylen Brown lamented how things played out after the 103-90 loss in Game 6, via The Athletic's Jared Weiss:
“They won and we lost. We did it to ourselves,” Brown said. “For sure, we had opportunities to go up and win. I guess we’ve shown our immaturity at times, and it stings. Still a young group. Still got a lot to learn. Nothing to hang our head about. Tough day for Boston. Tough day for the Celtics. Yeah, I don’t know what to say.”
Boston racked up a whopping 23 turnovers in the Game 6 loss. That came after 18 in Game 5 and 16 in Game 4. The Game 2 loss featured 19 Celtics turnovers. While Golden State's ferocious defense deserves credit, there were too many self-inflicted wounds.
Brown did his part to keep the Celtics alive in Game 6 with 34 points, but it wasn't enough. And although Brown had himself an excellent playoff run, he has clear areas to improve that will help Boston take the next step, including tightening up his handle and limiting the miscues.
This Celtics team had a hell of a run, and it's certainly disappointing right now to deal with this loss. But the future remains bright in Boston.
