The fourth quarter hasn't always been friendly to the Boston Celtics in the postseason. In fact, the Celtics were on the verge of not playing in the NBA Finals at all after they nearly allowed the Miami Heat to wrest Game 7 from the their grasp, only advancing because Jimmy Butler missed a go-ahead three-pointer with less than 20 seconds left.
But after getting buried by the Warriors in a third-quarter onslaught Thursday night, the Celtics used the final frame to stun Golden State and the Chase Center crowd to steal Game 1 of the Finals on the road.
In a game defined by counterpunches, Boston had the last word, showing off just how much their mental fortitude has grown in a few short months.
"It just says what we've been doing all year," said Marcus Smart after the Celtics took a 1-0 lead in the championship round. "We've been counted out all year. Rightfully so. We've had moments. But we continue to fight. That's who we are."
The longtime Celtics guard, who withstood heavy criticism for going 0-for-5 in crunch time against Miami in Game 7, hit two huge late threes to help put Game 1 out of the Warriors' reach. He finished with 18 points, including shooting 4-of-7 from downtown.
"I think over the last couple months, that's our identity," he added. "I think it stuck with us for a reason. For me, we have great players around us. … We're always telling each other to stay confident. There's a game or two where we're going to need to help our team win. They're going to do a good job on Jaylen [Brown] and Jayson [Tatum] and everybody else. We came prepared, and that's what it came down to."
The Celtics faced no shortage of adversity in Game 1, especially for a team without a single player who'd been to an NBA Finals. First, they had weather a 21-point first-quarter barrage by Stephen Curry. Then, they got outscored by 14 points in the third quarter after entering the half with a two-point lead.
But Boston won the second and fourth quarters decisively, putting up an epic 17-0 run to seize control of the game in the final frame while stifling a stunned Warriors squad on the defensive end.
Though the Celtics don't have any Finals experience outside of Game 1, guard Derrick White admits, that didn't faze them when it counted.
"A lot of guys have played a lot of big basketball throughout their careers. May not be the Finals, but the thing about this group is we love to hoop, so we're ready to go," said White, who carried over his remarkable play from the Eastern Conference Finals into the NBA Finals with 21 points (5-of-8 from three-point range) in Game 1.
One other thing this battle-tested Celtics team knows: Game 1 is in the past. Now, it's on to Game 2 against a Warriors squad looking to hit back with a vengeance.
"Tonight was one of those games where we can't get too high. We played very well, but we have to match that energy the next game, and we understand that," said Smart. "We all know this game is a game of runs. … Things happen. You just got to find a way."