The Boston Celtics took a page from the Golden State Warriors' playbook to take Game 1

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The Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics felt each other out in the opening round of the NBA finals, with the Celtics coming back to win 120-108.

The Celtics won Game 1 with a huge run in the fourth quarter, which was the second largest in a Finals game in the past 50 years.

Like many NBA Finals Game 1s, Thursday night's contest began as less of a display of surprise tactics than two elite teams throwing their best stuff at their opponent. The Celtics were tested by the Warriors' elegant offense, full of motion and clever off-ball action. The Celtics worked their drive-and-kick game, patiently working against the Warriors' rotation. Both teams used their defensive schemes with the Warriors using zone coverage.

The Celtics overcame a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter. Boston unleashed a devastating onslaught from the outside in a matter of seconds. Six 3-pointers were made in less than seven minutes. By the end of the fourth, Boston had erased a 12-point deficit. The Warriors were cold all the time. The Celtics shot 9-for-12 on field goals from deep, the most by any team in the fourth quarter of a Finals game, as they defeated the Warriors 40-16.

During the Celtics' late run, it was teammates Jaylen Brown, Al Horford, and Derrick White who provided the offense. Marcus Smart added 18 of his own, including four 3-pointers, to top 20 points, more than offsetting the struggles of Tatum. Horford's six 3-pointers were the most in a single game of his career. The Celtics have been able to play small thanks to White. Brown was so opportunist in the flow of the offense that he never relented.

The Warriors have an elegant offense, but the Celtics have established themselves as a deadly offense from long distance. The Dallas Mavericks attempted a higher percentage of 3-point shots in the playoffs than Boston did.

The offensive explosion set off at Chase Center in the first half couldn't be stopped by the stout defense. As good as the Celtics have been defensively, they neglected to find Stephen Curry early and stay with him.

Curry drained an NBA-record six 3-pointers in the first quarter and four of them were open. Only Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas have scored more in a Finals quarter than his 21 points in the opening frame. Curry scored 34 points for the Warriors.

The Celtics, who reached their first Finals since 2010 on the strength of their defense, showed that they have an offensive bag that can punish the Warriors on the right night. The Celtics will have an opportunity to complete a nine-year rebuild if they can pair a fraction of their offensive exhibition in Game 1 with their signature defense on three more occasions.