Celtics lose Game 6, Warriors win fourth NBA Championship in eight years

BOSTON -- The Celtics had a chance to force a Game 7 in the NBA Finals. Instead, their season ended with a terrible loss to the Warriors on their home court.

Boston lost Game 6, 103-90, at TD Garden on Thursday night. A once promising season ended with three straight losses in the Finals, as the Warriors captured their fourth NBA Championship in the last eight seasons. 

Steph Curry was spectacular with 32 points and brought home Finals MVP honors for the first time in his career. Andrew Wiggins added 18 and some strong defense throughout Game 6, and Draymond Green was all over the place with 12 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists for the Warriors.

Jayson Tatum struggled and finished with just 13 points off 6-for-18 shooting for Boston. Jaylen Brown led the way for Boston with 34 points. Both Brown and Tatum turned it over five times, as the Celtics finished with 23 turnovers for the game.

The Celtics moved the ball with authority to start the game and raced out to a 14-2 lead. It all went downhill from there.

The Warriors started hitting shots and the Celtics started to make the mistakes that haunted them all series. They let Gary Payton II get his own miss and put in an easy layup. A backcourt violation off a careless pass by Brown turned into a Draymond Green corner three. 

The Warriors finished the first quarter on an 11-0 run, with Curry and Jordan Poole hitting back-to-back threes to end the frame to give Golden State a 27-22 lead.

And it just got worse for Boston. Ime Udoka called a timeout just 50 seconds into the second quarter after a Derrick White missed layup turned into an Andrew Wiggins banker. It didn't help, because Green pulled down a Poole missed three and fed the swingman for another look from downtown, which he sank. Golden State's run was 21-0 when Brown committed another turnover and Wiggins finished the fast break with a slam, putting the Warriors on top 37-22 and forcing the Celtics to call another timeout.

The Warriors went from trailing the Celtics 22-16 to holding a 37-22 lead in just 4:18 of game time. Their 21-0 run was the longest in an NBA Finals game in the last 50 years.

The Golden State lead grew to as many as 21 points and the boo birds started singing at TD Garden. Rightfully so, as the Celtics committed 12 turnovers (eight in the second quarter) and surrendered nine offensive rebounds in the first half. That is no recipe to win, especially against a team like the Warriors. After that good start by the Celtics, the Warriors went on a 52-19 run overall, and took a 54-39 lead into the half.

The Warriors started the third by hitting six of their first seven threes, including one that Curry hit from Cambridge to put Golden State on top 72-50 midway through the quarter.

The Warriors shot 19-for-46 from three-point land, with Curry hitting six of his 11 attempts from deep.

Boston actually won the third and trimmed five points off Golden State's lead thanks to a 15-2 run late in the quarter. Al Horford scored 12 points in the third, including a nice and-1 layup to cut the Warriors lead to 74-65. The Celtics trailed by 10 heading into the fourth.

The Celtics had the lead down to eight after a Brown corner three with 5:30 to play. But Wiggins answered with a three, and Brown gave it up for Boston's 21st turnover on the next trip down. Green turned it into an easy driving layup to put the Warriors on top 91-78 with 4:43 left. At that point, it was just a matter for Golden State running out the clock before celebrating their championship on Boston's home floor.

The Celtics finished the postseason just 6-6 at home. 

The Celtics were one of the best teams in basketball for the second half of the season. They made an incredible run in the playoffs, sending the Nets, Bucks, and Heat packing. But they fell to the dynastic Warriors in disappointing fashion on the biggest stage of the game.

There is plenty to build off from the 2022 season, and plenty to be optimistic about with the Celtics. But they came up well short when it mattered most. 

The wait for Banner 18 in Boston continues.