Photo Courtesy: Michael Kolch
By DaVince “Dino” Wright
Records Heading into the Finals
Boston Celtics (51-31, 23-18 Away)
Golden State Warriors (53-29, 31-10 Home)
One would say that the two teams playing in the finals were among the favorites, but not the teams everyone wanted to see. The Western Conference has the LA Lakers while the Eastern Conference favorites were the Brooklyn Nets. It was slated as the two best players LA Lakers LeBron James and Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant would meet up and battle for the Larry O’Brien Championship trophy. Well, it didn’t turn out that way. Golden State will represent the West while the Boston Celtics will represent the East. This series is evenly matched. Both teams mirror each other in 5 major categories (3-point shooting, 3-point shooting percentage, turnovers, free throw attempts and defense) this season. Let’s take a look at both teams and look closer at the first two games of the finals along with the keys to victory in the quest for the 2022 NBA championship.
How did they get here?
Golden State has fought through adversity from the beginning of this year’s playoffs. The Warriors looked as if they could (at least on paper) lose in the opening series against the Denver Nuggets, but the Warriors bench proved to be way too talented for the Nuggets. Steph Curry had his hands full with emerging superstar Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies. Klay Thompson began getting back into playoff shape against the Dallas Mavericks and he found his stroke from behind the arc. The key for the Warriors has been their bench and cutting into leads while the starters rested has been a huge difference, but turnovers have been an issue. The Boston Celtics proved that being young, brash and streaky is a blessing and curse. Boston beat Brooklyn, Milwaukee and Miami to get here. Point guard Marcus Smart won DPOY and he’s been offered the task of stopping Steph Curry in the finals. Guards Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown will need to perform at a high level because they have never played in the finals.
6/2 – 8:00 p.m. – Boston Celtics vs Golden State Warriors – TV: ABC
Game 1 – This game will be played in San Francisco and ESPN and other outlets have the Celtics with a 60.4% chance of winning on the road. Did they pick the Celtics because of the Warriors having 6 days off? We’ll keep an eye on the “Splash Brothers”… they play big when the lights are turned on and the world is watching. Remember Golden State has 3 championships with the core of the team in tact. They know how to win! The over/under is 212.5 so take the over in this one! I’m taking the Warriors by 12!
Final Score: Celtics 112 – Warriors 124
6/5 – 7:00 p.m. – Boston Celtics vs Golden State Warriors – TV: ABC
Game 2 – As a sports reporter I write what I see and how I see it. Game 1 is a wild guess and what I predict would happen. Its Game 2 and both teams will need to make in game adjustments because of how the opposition plays. Both team shoot the 3-ball well, but the team that gets to the free throw line and limits turnovers will win this game easily. I believe that Golden State is the better team, but Boston is a bit tougher! How do you pick between the two? I always take the team with the scrappy bench players, that’s how I’m taking Golden State for the win in a close game by 7!
Final Score: Celtics 98 – Warriors 105
