Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics Undergoing Reversal In Fortunes

Talk about a reversal in fortunes.

The Boston Celtics were once viewed as one of the league’s elite teams, but were forced to undergo a rebuild as their superstar core of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen aged. Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors have risen up the Western Conference ranks, and have established themselves as one of the best teams in the NBA this season, with the best record in the league.

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The Warriors’ season reached an all-time high when Klay Thompson broke the NBA scoring record for most points in a quarter on Friday night’s win over the Sacramento Kings. He put up a career-high 52 points, broke the record for most three-pointers made in a quarter, and set the Oracle Arena alight. He’s dominated headlines and has been the talk of the NBA for the past few days.

But when the Boston Celtics come to visit the Warriors at Oracle Arena, they will hope to sully the upbeat mood. The Celtics are on a two-game win streak, and are looking to tie their season-best third consecutive victory. But they will find it hard against the Warriors, who have won 18-consecutive home games and are 13-0 against their Eastern Conference foes.

If their records this season are anything to go by, the Warriors should win comfortably, barring a loss in focus and complacency.

Key Matchups

Avery Bradley vs Klay Thompson: For a brief moment in his career, Bradley was seen as one of the league’s best perimeter defenders, combining his physical tools with his incredible defensive instincts. He was also known as a knockdown shooter, spreading the floor with his three-point shooting prowess (does that remind you of anyone?). However, he’s failed to reach his potential, and now will matchup against a similar 3-and-D player in Klay, who is in the form of his life.

Jae Crowder vs Harrison Barnes: Due to his status as a lottery pick, fans have always had high hopes for Barnes. He hasn’t always delivered, but fans have been treated to glimpses of his potential. Going up against another role player in Jae Crowder, Barnes should use this matchup to dominate the game. We need more Black Falcon.

Brad Stevens vs Steve Kerr: The matchup of the coaches of the future. Both have undergone very different paths to their NBA coaching careers, but are widely regarded as coaches with great potential. Stevens has had a very challenging start to his NBA coaching career, while Kerr could not have envisioned a better start to his.

Keys to the Game

1. No Complacency

Klay Thompson’s 52 points against the Sacramento Kings masked some issues the Warriors had in the game, namely the fact that they played to the level of the opposition. The Warriors shot poorly from the floor and gave up too many turnovers that led to transition buckets. Against the Boston Celtics and many of the weaker teams in the NBA, the Warriors will need to avoid playing to the level of their opposition.

1. Getting Off to a Strong Start

The Oracle Arena and the Golden State Warriors will be in high spirits when the game tips off, and it will be essential for the Warriors to ride that energy to a strong start. The Oracle can get really loud, and after Friday night’s epic, a great start to the game could really get the Oracle going.

Prediction: Comfortable win for the Golden State Warriors. The Dubs should extend their franchise-record win streak at home, and they will be too much for the weaker Celtics.