It was late January 2025 when the wheels completely fell off for the Dubs at Chase Center. A 40-point blowout. Honestly, seeing Golden State vs Celtics end in a 125-85 scoreline felt like a glitch in the matrix for anyone who remembers the 2022 Finals. One side looked like a well-oiled machine cruising toward a repeat, while the other looked, well, old.
But sports move fast. Fast enough that by the time February 2026 rolls around, the narrative has shifted again.
People love to talk about the "rivalry" here, but is it actually a rivalry? Or is it just two heavyweights who happen to occupy different coasts and occasionally ruin each other's June plans? If you ask a Celtics fan, they’ll tell you 2022 was a fluke—a learning experience. If you ask a Warriors fan, they’ll point to the banners.
The truth is somewhere in the messy middle.
The January 2025 Disaster and What It Changed
That 125-85 loss wasn't just a regular season L. It was the most lopsided home loss for the Warriors since the early sixties. Jayson Tatum didn't even have to go nuclear; he just played a solid, efficient game with 22 points, 9 boards, and 7 assists. The Celtics basically treated the Warriors like a G-League team for 48 minutes.
What most people get wrong about that specific Golden State vs Celtics game is the idea that it signaled the end of the Curry era. It didn't. What it actually signaled was a massive shift in how teams have to defend Boston’s "five-out" system. When Kristaps Porziņģis is hitting three-pointers and Jayson Tatum is acting as a point-forward, the Warriors’ traditional help-and-recover defense gets shredded.
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Golden State tried to play small. They got bullied on the glass.
Moses Moody was actually a rare bright spot in that mess, chipping in 13 points when the starters looked gassed. But the gap in athleticism was glaring. Boston was younger, longer, and frankly, more focused.
Why the 2022 Finals Still Haunt the TD Garden
You can't talk about Golden State vs Celtics without mentioning the 2022 Finals. It is the ghost that follows Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Even after winning the title in 2024 against Dallas, the shadow of Steph Curry dropping 43 in Game 4 at the Garden still lingers.
That series was a masterclass in psychological warfare.
The Warriors were down 2-1. People were ready to crown the Celtics. Then Curry happened. He averaged 31.2 points over the series and basically snatched the soul out of the building. For the Celtics, that loss wasn't about talent; it was about "processing." They turned the ball over 22 times in the clincher. They played rushed.
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Since then, the Celtics have become a different beast. Joe Mazzulla has them playing a brand of basketball that is statistically more efficient than the "Beautiful Game" Warriors ever were. But the Warriors still have that one thing: the ability to make a team feel like the hoop is shrinking.
Breaking Down the Modern Matchup
Let’s look at the actual numbers because they tell a story that highlights why this matchup is so weird.
In the 2024-25 season, the Warriors actually beat the Celtics 118-112 back in November. People forget that because of the later 40-point blowout. They split the series.
Golden State’s offense still relies on high-volume 3PA (they ranked 1st in the league in 3PM and 3PA during the early part of the 2024-25 season). Boston, meanwhile, has become a defensive juggernaut that specializes in taking away the very thing Golden State loves. They rank near the top of the league in opposing effective field goal percentage.
Basically, it's the ultimate "strength vs. strength" chess match.
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- The Tatum-Curry Paradox: Tatum often struggles with efficiency against the Warriors' junk defenses (box-and-one, etc.), but he makes up for it with gravity.
- The Bench Factor: Boston’s depth is terrifying. Guys like Payton Pritchard can come in and drop 14 points and 9 assists (like he did in the Jan 2025 blowout) while the Warriors are still trying to figure out their second-unit rotation.
- Rebounding: This is where the Warriors usually lose the game. In their losses to Boston, they often get out-rebounded by double digits.
What to Expect in the 2026 Matchups
We are looking at a February 20, 2026, date at Chase Center. Mark your calendars. By this point in the season, both teams are usually in "playoff mode," managing minutes but hunting for seeding.
Expect the Warriors to experiment with more size. They've realized they can't just "out-skill" Boston anymore. You need bodies. You need to foul Jayson Tatum hard when he gets into the paint. You need to make Jaylen Brown a playmaker rather than a finisher.
On the flip side, Boston has basically solved the "Draymond Green puzzle." They don't let his antics get to them like they did in 2022. They stay home on shooters and let Draymond take the open layout or the top-of-the-key three. It’s disrespectful, but it works.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Analysts
If you're watching the next Golden State vs Celtics clash, don't just watch the ball. Watch the off-ball screening.
- Monitor the "Early Clock" Threes: If Boston is taking and making threes in the first 8 seconds of the shot clock, the Warriors are in trouble. It means their transition defense is failing.
- Check the Turnover Battle: The Warriors are notorious for "lazy" passes. Against a team with the wingspan of Boston (Tatum, Brown, White), those are pick-sixes. If Golden State has more than 15 turnovers, they almost certainly lose.
- The Porziņģis Gravity: Watch how the Warriors guard the pick-and-pop. If they put a traditional center on Porziņģis, he’ll pull them out of the paint, leaving the rim unprotected for Tatum's drives.
The rivalry isn't dead. It’s just evolved. It moved from a clash of eras in 2022 to a battle for modern supremacy today. Every time these two teams meet, it’s a litmus test for the rest of the NBA.
Check the injury reports 24 hours before tip-off. In 2026, rest days are common, but for this specific matchup, stars usually try to show up. If the Warriors can keep the rebounding margin within five, they have a shot. If not, expect another long night for the Bay Area faithful.