Henry Roldán
After a great season in which the 75th anniversary of the NBA is commemorated, the 2021-2022 championship will reach its peak this Thursday, June 2, when the 2022 NBA Finals begin between the Golden State Warriors and the Boston Celtics.
For the first time since 1964, two of the league’s oldest teams will face battle in a final series highlighted by experience, the Warriors’ explosive offense, and the passion of a youthful club with a ferocious defense like the Celtics.
Golden State enters the series as a favorite, led by Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson, who will be attempting to capture their fourth NBA title in the last eight seasons and therefore establish a dynasty.
For their part, the Celtics will play their first final since the 2009-2010 season after overcoming a slow start to the season. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were the spark plugs for a team that beat three favorites during the postseason. What’s their goal? To get their 18th title in NBA history, so that they remain leaders in that department.
NBA Finals 2022: General data, odds and predictions for the Golden State Warriors vs Dallas Mavericks Final Series
- Where: Chase Center – San Francisco, California. The Warriors have home-field advantage, so in addition to the first two games of the series, the hypothetical fifth and seventh games would be played in this scenario. For their part, the games corresponding to the third, fourth, and possible sixth matches will be played at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.
- When: Thursday, June 2, 9:00 PM ET
- Betting Line (Series): Golden State Warriors (-155) vs. Boston Celtics (+135).
Golden State Warriors Preview (#3 seed in Western Conference)
- Overall Record: 53-29
- Record vs. Boston Celtics this season: 1-1.
- How did they get there?: They defeated the Denver Nuggets (4-1), the Memphis Grizzlies (4-2) and the Dallas Mavericks (4-1).
- Spread (1st Game): -3.5
- Over/Under (1st Game): Over 211.5
- Moneyline (1st Game): -160.
The Warriors enter the 2022 NBA Finals as favorites to continue a dynasty that has featured a trident of more than historic players for the franchise in Curry, Green, and Thompson over the last decade.
It is no secret to anyone that how these three figures perform will fuel this team, since Curry is the deadliest offensive weapon with his bloodthirsty three-point shots, Thompson is the clutch player in pressure situations, and Green is one of the best defenders in league history,
However, what makes this team more fearsome is that this season Steve Kerr has seen how several youngsters have been able to consolidate themselves within the rotation with outstanding performances such as Jordan Poole, rookie Jonathan Kuminga and Gary Payton II. The latter was injured during the series against Memphis, but is expected to return to become a great contribution to the defense.
Despite the fact that the Warriors appeared to have no flaws against the Celtics, considering that they boast one of the league’s most explosive offenses and were second in defensive rating during the regular season, Boston was the #1 team in defensive rating. In this sense, the Warriors must be careful not to repeat their postseason mistakes, as they were one of the top five teams in terms of turnovers.
This is a possible turning point in a series that seems to be extremely complicated, but with the experience of Golden State and the balance that the defense gives to that powerful attack, the team should take home the seventh championship ring.
Boston Celtics Preview (#2 Seed in Eastern Conference)
- Overall Record: 51-31
- Record vs. Golden State Warriors this season: 1-1.
- How did they get there?: They defeated the Brooklyn Nets (4-0), the Milwaukee Bucks (4-3) and the Miami Heat (4-3).
- Spread (1st Game): +3.5
- Over/Under (1st Game): Over 211.5
- Moneyline (1st Game): +140
Packed and motivated. This is how this team from Boston arrives at these NBA Finals 2022 against the Warriors, another tough hurdle that they will have to overcome to complete one of the most interesting seasons in the history of the organization. A triumph could give them that title 18 that the fans of the Celtics have been waiting in order to break away from the Los Angeles Lakers at the top of the table.
With the help of Tatum and Brown, this Celtics team managed to support offensively the best defense on the circuit , whose fundamental pillars are the Defensive Player of the Year, Marcus Smart, as well as Robert Williams III and veteran Al Horford.
Only five times in the 18 games played this postseason did the rivals score more than 110 points, while six times they did not, including three times by the Bucks, the current league champions. That speaks to why Ime Udoka’s team has reached this instance and why they were the best team defensively rated in the regular round with 106.2.
However, in order to get past the Warriors they will have to play more than just defense. In Golden State they also know how to slow down rivals, so Boston’s offense will have to be more consistent than it was throughout the year. In fact, in the postseason they only managed to score more than 110 points five times, something they will surely have to do a couple of times if they want to keep up with Golden State.
JefeBet – Predictions for the NBA Finals 2022
Although I have always liked surprises in the world of sport, I don’t think I will be surprised this time. It will be a very competitive series, but Golden State has a very complete team in all areas with players with a lot of experience both in the regular round and in the finals. As regards Boston, not one of their players has previously played a minute in the final series and although they come very well emotionally, the fatigue of long series in the playoffs and the inconsistency in their game will take its toll on them at some point.
Pick: Golden State in six games.
2022 NBA Finals’ MVP: Stephen Curry will undoubtedly be beat-up by the Celtics’ constant defensive changes, but the greatest shooter in history owes himself an amazing debt, and I believe this is the time he will win his first MVP in the finals. This is the only award that is missing from his brilliant career.
