Warriors bullied by bigger Celtics in Game 3 loss
NBA Finals: Warriors C Kevon Looney only played 17 minutes as Celtics
outrebound Golden State 47-31
>BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JUNE 08: Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry
(30) takes a shot against Boston Celtics’ Derrick White (9) and Boston
Celtics’ Grant Williams (12) in the first quarter of Game 3 of the NBA
Finals at TD Garden in Boston, Mass., on Wednesday, June 8, 2022. (Nhat
V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
>BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JUNE 08: Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry
(30) takes a shot against Boston Celtics’ Derrick White (9) and Boston
Celtics’ Grant Williams (12) in the first quarter of Game 3 of the NBA
Finals at TD Garden in Boston, Mass., on Wednesday, June 8, 2022. (Nhat
V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
By MADELINE KENNEY | mkenney@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: June 9, 2022 at 8:07 a.m. | UPDATED: June 9, 2022 at 1:42 p.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/06/09/warriors-bullied-by-bigger-celtics-in-game-3-loss/

BOSTON – Draymond Green didn’t hold back in his assessment of how he
played in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.

“Like s—,” he said following the Warriors’ 116-100 loss to the Celtics.
“I was soft. That’s what was most disappointing to me, for us.”

Green set the tone for his teammates in Golden State’s Game 2 win at
Chase Center out of the gates with his aggressive play. But he didn’t
bring the same energy and desperation Wednesday night in Boston as the
crowd hurled a chorus of boos and profanity-laced chants at him.

The result was an underwhelming showing for the undersized Warriors, who
were bullied by the assertive Celtics — especially in the interior — for
the majority of the night.

>BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JUNE 08: Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green
(23) tangles on the parquet floor of TD Garden with Boston Celtics’
Jaylen Brown (7) in the third quarter, Wednesday, June 8, 2022, in
Boston, Mass. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)

Golden State has dominated the boards for most of the playoffs, but
Boston outrebounded the Warriors 47-31 in Game 3. That includes 15
offensive rebounds for the Celtics, who had snatched only 13 offensive
boards through the first two games.

Boston made the most of its additional possessions as it outscored the
Warriors 22-11 on second-chance opportunities.

“The offensive rebounds were just a killer,” coach Steve Kerr said.
“That was really the difference in the game. We made several stops,
especially in the second half where we had a chance to cut into the lead
or make a little push, and they got offensive boards. Those were tough.”

Klay Thompson was unsure what led to the rebounding discrepancy, though
he pointed to the Warriors’ weak boxing-out efforts as a possible culprit.

“They did have way too many second-chance points. It’s hard to beat a
team when that happens,” Thompson said. “I give ourselves credit,
though, for fighting back and taking the lead. It just sucks when you
let one slip away like that.”

>BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JUNE 08: Golden State Warriors’ Klay Thompson
(11) is fouled by Boston Celtics’ Al Horford (42) in the third quarter
of Game 3 of the NBA Finals at TD Garden in Boston, Mass., on Wednesday,
June 8, 2022. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)

But the rebounding wasn’t Golden State’s only concern in Game 3. The
Warriors were dominated inside as the Celtics’ stifling defense
constantly hounded them at the rim. Robert Williams III had four of the
team’s seven blocks and the Celtics outscored Golden State 52-26 in the
paint.

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Kevon Looney is the Warriors’ lone traditional and healthy center as the
team’s 2021 top pick James Wiseman – who, by the way, was trending on
Twitter after the loss – was shut down for the season following setbacks
in his slow rehab process from a knee injury. But despite the Warriors’
struggles, Looney played only 17 minutes, grabbing seven rebounds and
scoring six points.

“We have to factor in what’s happening on the floor, what we need: Do we
need floor spacing, do we need better rebounding? And we were kind of
plugging holes tonight,” Kerr said. “They did a good job. They earned
the win. They put a lot of pressure on us and felt like we were kind of
swimming upstream most of the night.”

..BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JUNE 08: Golden State Warriors’ Kevon Looney
(5) and Andrew Wiggins (22) battle for a rebound with Boston Celtics’ Al
Horford (42) in the second quarter of Game 3 of the NBA Finals at TD
Garden in Boston, Mass., on Wednesday, June 8, 2022. (Karl Mondon/Bay
Area News Group)

The Warriors brass has reiterated numerous times that they don’t regret
opting against adding another big man before the trade deadline. Without
Wiseman, the Warriors still managed to overcome back-to-back league MVP
Nikola Jokic and power through to the NBA Finals.

But the Warriors’ lack of size might have finally caught up to them
against the hard-nosed Celtics.

>BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JUNE 08: Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry
(30) and Boston Celtics’ Al Horford (42) fight for a loose ball in
fourth quarter of Game 3 of the NBA Finals at TD Garden in Boston,
Mass., on Wednesday, June 8, 2022. (Karl