Stephen Curry's three-point try with seconds left in the game could have tied it. The Warriors finally lost at home, the first time all season, breaking an NBA-record 54-game regular season streak that dated back to early 2015. But for a moment, when Curry's shot left his hands, we all assumed a different scenario would play out. For Curry, it was a normal look -- off the dribble, contested, several feet behind the line, a shot we've seen him make a hundred times this year alone. But the ball rimmed out of the cylinder, a final desperation three missed and Golden State's unblemished home record became 36-1.
NBA scores 2016: The Celtics snapped Golden State’s streak by beating them at their own game
The most impressive part of Boston’s performance was how it matched the Warriors the entire second half.
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
What’s interesting about this loss is the way the Warriors played. Look just at the Warriors half of the box score, and if you didn’t know better, you would assume they had won. After all, Golden State shot 46 percent from the field, hit 20 three-pointers, saw Curry drop 29 points on 19 shots, and scored 106 points. Those numbers aren’t even too impressive for the Warriors, who have done this all year, but certainly they’re numbers warranting a win.
No, the most impressive thing about the Celtics win is that they won playing Golden State's game. They tried another way at first, succeeding in ways few have early in the game when they limited the Warriors to just 43 points in the first half. The Warriors have some bad turnover tendencies, often committing them completely unforced, a victim of their highlight-producing style. Boston found a way to amplify that and the Warriors finished the game coughing the ball up 22 times, including nine from Curry alone.
But up by just two points heading into the third quarter, Golden State finally shed the Celtics’ scrappy, physical defense and found its style. Like nothing, it racked up 36 points in the frame, bombing threes and diving to the rim for layups like we’ve all grown accustom to watching them this season. The third quarter is when the Warriors traditionally pull away from these teams. It’s when, finally annoyed, they rise up and brush off pesky assailants who have resisted a blowout for 24 minutes. The Warriors did that in the third quarter -- and Boston stuck right with them, even increasing its lead by a digit with a 37-point frame.
Golden State never led in the fourth quarter. It had trailed in the fourth quarter for only 27 minutes at home in regular season games this entire season, but did so for all 12 on Friday. The Warriors scored 27 points in the final period, but once again, the Celtics matched them, shot for shot, point for point, scoring 27 points on their own. The Celtics’ offense is just barely in the top half of the league, but they worked through big men and isolated the occasional mismatch in the post. It was enough to get the job done.
The Warriors miss Andre Iguodala and Festus Ezeli, particularly defensively, and both are due back soon. There's no reason to panic, because the team is still winners of 68 games and still has great odds to finish with the greatest regular season ever. Thinking that the Celtics have figured out the blueprint for beating the Warriors is foolishness. No, the only thing that stands out Friday is how impressive Boston was. The Celtics went into Golden State, matched their style and beat them anyway. That hasn't happened all season. Frankly, it may not happen again.
2 more things from Friday
Cleveland’s back at it again
The Cavaliers, who claimed this week that they are "still the team to beat" in the NBA, blew a big halftime lead and needed overtime to beat Atlanta on Friday. That alone isn't damning, with the Hawks currently sitting No. 4 in the East, nor is this video of LeBron James yelling at a seemingly uninterested Kyrie Irving.
LeBron giving Kytie Irving the Mario Chalmers treatment pic.twitter.com/GX0SVxXD9j
— gifdsports (@gifdsports) April 2, 2016
No, if these incidents were isolated, nobody would care. But they're not. James has been freaking out Cavalier fans for more than a month now, with random trips to Miami and strange social media posts that he's hesitated to explain. As the drama surrounding Cleveland continued -- some deserved, some way overhyped -- we know we should stop giving all the off-court activity any mind, because they're still winning games! But the Cavaliers aren't making it easy. Another outburst from James, while Irving looks like he couldn't care less, is exactly the subliminal bad body language subtleties that everyone has been noticing repeatedly. Again, Cleveland did win on Friday! But it won't stop everyone from talking about this moment.
The Mavericks are ignoring their death sentence
The month of March was a terrible one for the Mavericks, who lost 10 of the month's first 13 games, found out Chandler Parsons would miss the rest of the season after having surgery on his meniscus, and saw themselves fall out of the playoffs after occupying the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference for most of the year. Given the Parsons news, there wasn't much hope that the Mavericks would suddenly turn it around three games ago, especially given a tough schedule Dallas had to face. And then they won all three games.
On Friday, the Mavericks beat Detroit, doing it despite an even more depleted roster. Already missing Deron Williams for several games with a sports hernia, his replacement Raymond Felton couldn't go with a groin strain in Detroit, leaving Dallas with just 11 active players.
Fortunately, J.J. Barea's wife delivered the couple's daughter in timely fashion on Thursday, allowing Barea to fly up to Detroit just hours before the game on Friday and play hero. After a 26-point performance on Wednesday, Barea followed it up with 29 points against the Pistons and sparked this legendary "BABY DADDY!" call from Mark Followill. The playoffs are still a tough climb for Dallas, who is facing a tricky schedule in addition to the injuries, but somehow, Rick Carlisle's team refuses to die.
Play of the night
best bench reaction of the year maybe pic.twitter.com/JtNBryhzq4
— James Herbert (@outsidethenba) April 2, 2016
Everything about this is perfect.
6 fun things
April Fool’s has redeemed itself after a savage prank pulled on Markieff Morris by the Wizards.
LeBron James dunks. You may find that hard to believe, but it’s true.
Final scores
Hornets 100, 76ers 91 (At the Hive recap | Liberty Ballers recap)
Mavericks 98, Pistons 89 (Mavs Moneyball recap | Detroit Bad Boys recap)
Knicks 105, Nets 91 (Posting & Toasting recap | Nets Daily recap)
Cavaliers 110, Hawks 108 OT (Fear the Sword recap | Peachtree Hoops recap)
Raptors 99, Grizzlies 95 (Raptors HQ recap | Grizzly Bear Blues recap)
Bucks 113, Magic 110 (Brew Hoop recap | Orlando Pinstriped Post recap)
Jazz 98, Timberwolves 85 (SLC Dunk recap | Canis Hoopus recap)
Heat 112, Kings 106 (Hot Hot Hoops recap | Sactown Royalty recap)
Celtics 109, Warriors 106 (CelticsBlog recap | Golden State of Mind recap)
Wizards 106, Suns 99 (Bullets Forever recap | Bright Side of the Sun recap)
* * *
Top Final Four Cinderella: Was it the NC State Wolfpack or Butler Bulldogs?
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