The Boston Celtics will host the Golden State Warriors for Game 3 of the 2022 NBA Finals Wednesday night, a game where both teams can gain momentum in this series after splitting the first two games in San Francisco.
After a 19-point loss on Sunday night, the Celtics have had a few days to recover and prepare for a very entertaining game on their home ground.
Speaking to the media ahead of Wednesday’s game, head coach Ime Udoka not only stated that everyone was ready for this game amid some injury concerns, but that the team’s line-ups and rotations could be different as the game progresses.
“Yeah, it’s something we’re looking at in depth, and more so, it could be a few other things that we’re looking at before we change the lineup, change the covers, change the matchups and so on, our substitution patterns and which lineups work well together. ‘ Udoka said in response to a question about a possible lineup reshuffle. “There’s also a holistic approach, a core group that we want to build to move forward and understand how to protect any situation. And so it’s also an advantage for us to put Rob or others in their best situation.”
Turnovers proved to be a big problem in the Celtics’ Game 2 loss to the Warriors as they committed a total of 19 turnovers that went straight to 33 points that went the other way for Golden State.
Reducing mistakes offensively and valuing every possession has been a focus for Boston in recent days, and Ime Udoka addressed this in his pre-game remarks as well.
“Yes, one big piece was a common theme, which is sales. We’ve had some,” Udoka said in reference to whether he could stop the Warriors’ big runs in the third quarter of the series. “When we struggled in the first half we came out and added in the third quarter… I think some of the turnovers and bad shots helped them make the transition but for us we had good starts in the games, so we have to carry that over to the third quarter, same lineup, same matchups.”
Game 3 between the Golden State Warriors and the Boston Celtics begins at 9 p.m. ET. on Wednesday, June 8 in Boston. The Celtics are currently a 3.5 point favorite according to FanDuel.com.
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