Crazy stat helps explain why Celtics hit so many three-pointers in Game 1

The Boston Celtics had an incredible shooting night in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, and the result was a 120-108 victory over the Golden State Warriors. Many people have pointed out the remarkable three-point percentage is not sustainable, but one eye-popping statistic shows how much of a better job Steve Kerr’s team needs to do defending the perimeter.

The Celtics went 21-for-41 from three-point range on Thursday night. Draymond Green and others chalked that up to Boston’s role players getting unusually hot at the right time.

According to advanced stats from NBA.com, the Celtics were either “open” or “wide open” on 38 of their three-point attempts. The metric for “open” is defined as the nearest defender being four to six feet away. A shooter is considered “wide open” when the nearest defender is more than six feet away. Of the 41 shots, 23 were “wide open,” which basically means they were totally uncontested.

The Warriors led 92-80 at the end of the third quarter. Boston then outscored them 40-16 in the fourth quarter. Green can laugh off the flukey shooting all he wants, but it sure looked like Golden State was gassed late in the game. The stats all but prove it.