The Boston Celtics were in danger of getting run out of the building in the second half of Game 1 of the 2022 NBA Finals.
After leading the Golden State Warriors by two at halftime, the Celtics entered the fourth quarter trailing the by 12. It felt similar to Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat, where the C's led after two quarters, got outscored by a huge margin in the third quarter and ended up losing.
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But the Celtics fought back and didn't let that same result unfold again.
What sparked Boston's historic fourth quarter during which it outscored Golden State 40-16 en route to a 120-108 victory?
Head coach Ime Udoka had a strong message for his team before the start of the fourth quarter.
"You’re getting punked out there," Udoka told Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes of his challenge to the Celtics before the final quarter. "They’re punking us right now. Is this the way you want to go out? This is not us. Let’s at least give ourselves a chance."
Boston Celtics
The Celtics became the first team in NBA Finals history to trail by double digits entering the fourth quarter and win that game by double digits.
“It’s something we needed to hear,” Derrick White said of Udoka's challenge, per Haynes. “We were challenged to toughen up and we did.”
The Celtics defense was locked in throughout the fourth quarter. They gave up only 16 points, consistently contested Warriors shots, won the rebounding battle 11-6 and forced four turnovers. Boston's 17-0 run sealed the Warriors' fate and handed Golden State its first home loss of the 2022 playoffs.
The C's will try to take a 2-0 series lead with a Game 2 win on Sunday night. Golden State has not lost back-to-back games during this postseason.