NBA Finals 2022: The Golden State Warriors remind the NBA they can win high-stakes hoops by any means necessary

SAN FRANCISCO -- The NBA Finals allow for the slimmest margins of error

Opponents are too elite and opportunities too precious to squander in a seven-game series

For the Boston Celtics, sins of commission in Game 5 were too numerous to overcome a Golden State Warriors team

with a championship pedigree on its home floor

The Warriors prevailed 104-94 and now stand one win away from capturing their fourth title in eight years

With the exception of a handful of transcendent individual performances and team outbursts

the 2022 Finals have been a rugged, defensive affair

In Game 5, both teams executed their defensive game plans proficiently, if not perfectly

Golden State sold out and relied on its superb help defense, while the Celtics tried to turn the Warriors' shooters into drivers

offering contested shots from long distance when the Warriors settled for them