Despite being the more rested team, it was the Warriors who looked fatigued in the final quarter as the Celtics, who trailed 103-100 at one stage,
closed the game on a 20-5 run to steal away homecourt advantage with a 120-108 victory.
Much was made of the Marcus Smart vs. Steph Curry battle and if Jayson Tatum could elevate his game to yet another level. But it was the Celtics' "others" who really stepped up big in the fourth quarter.
We break down the key player ratings for you right here and give each player a rating out of 10 for their performance in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
If you told folks that Curry would set the NBA Finals record for three-pointers made in a quarter with six in the first quarter, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the Warriors would have blown out their opponent.
That was not the case though as Curry would go on to hit just one more triple after his early offensive onslaught.
He still finished 7-of-14 from long rang and 12-of-25 overall for 34 points, five rebounds and five assists. But it did appear like Curry was forcing things a little too much — especially in the second half as he tried to recapture the fire of the first quarter.
Horford, playing in his first-ever NBA Finals showed up and showed out. Big Al has shown glimpses of taking over games during this postseason run, and many wondered what kind of impact he would have in the NBA Finals.
Well, he absolutely balled out in Game 1 and was a key part of the Celtics' massive fourth quarter in which they outscored the Warriors 40-16.
Horford was a perfect 4-of-4 in the fourth quarter and scored or assisted on 14 of Boston's final 17 points.
Horford finished the game with 26 points (9-of-12 shooting), six rebounds, three assists and he was 6-of-8 from long-range.
Horford and Derrick White will get a lot of the attention postgame, but it was Brown who dragged them back into the game just as things were starting to swing in favor of the Warriors.
Brown had 24 points, seven rebounds and five assists on 10-of-23 shooting from the field.
He was instrumental in helping the C's open the fourth on a 7-0 run.
The only thing that Tatum did not do well in Game 1 was shoot the ball.
He finished the game with 12 points on 3-of-17 shooting, but his playmaking and defense were elite.
The Celtics won the game despite Tatum making just one field goal in the last three quarters of the game.
On a night where his shot wasn't falling, Tatum stepped up his playmaking duties from the wing position and was integral in that role.
"I don't expect to shoot that bad again, but if we win, I'll take it," he said post-game.
One thing to look for more moving forward from Wiggins in this series is what kind of playmaking he will bring to the table — he had 0 assists in Game 1.