We get a heck of a matchup between the best two teams in the league.
The NBA Finals have dawned upon us and somehow, someway, both the Boston Celtics and The Golden State Warriors have survived to be the last two standing.
Boston conquered established names like Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Jimmy Butler in each of their Eastern Conference playoff matchups and now turn their attention to Stephen Curry to complete the gauntlet.
Golden State withlasted young superstars Nikola Jokić, Ja Morant(ish), and Luka Dončić in the West and now set their eyes upon Jayson Tatum to add a fourth championship to their franchise in the last seven years.
Let’s dive into the fun.
Scoring
Now with Golden State, everyone knows about guards Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, the splash brothers. If you’ve watched the playoffs or read my previews on other series, you know about the emergence of fellow guard Jordan Poole.
Their offense has been hyper-efficient because of the play-making of Poole and Curry, along with forward Draymond Green initiating from the perimeter and creating havoc when defenses try to over-contain one of those guards mentioned above. Forward Andrew Wiggins came into his own last series against Dallas, and Center Kevon Looney grabbed every rebound. Their motion offense has created too many problems and too much confusion for any team to contain consistently.
Boston has their own unique ways to attack on the offensive end. Forwards Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown can beat you from the perimeter or inside. Fellow forward Al Horford, having found the fountain of youth, has been their do-it-all veteran. Guards Marcus Smart and Derrick White have both hit timely shots when needed. Center Robert Williams is the best alley-top threat on both teams.
While Boston survived against game seven against Miami, their execution the last three minutes was atrocious and nearly led to an all-time choke job. Boston has one-too many of extended offensive droughts and while their defense can usually bail them out of those situations, I wonder if they can survive those droughts against Golden State.
Defense
Beginning with the Celtics, they have at-times completely shut down every team they have played this postseason and a big reason is because of their length. Every player in their rotation has long arms and good defensive instincts, they play physical, create traps and lead to opportunities for transition baskets. Golden State’s biggest kryptonite is turning the ball over, especially early in the game. That could be the difference in a couple of close games, especially those played in Boston.
Golden State’s defense has been consistent and because of Boston’s length and athleticism, I expect to see the Warriors play a bit of zone, even for some extended stretches.
They’ve seemed to figure out teams trying to pick on Curry defensively, opting for Curry to hedge hard and then sprint back to his primary defender, instead of the two-time NBA MVP being stuck in an iso situation. I wonder if Boston counters this by sending either Smart or White into the post, where they are both capable of scoring, to keep Curry engaged defensively and not give him any time to rest.
Guard Gary Payton II, along with forwards Andre Iguodala and Otto Porter Jr. are all ‘questionable’ for game one Thursday, and Golden State will need them all at some point in this series to guard Tatum and Brown effectively.
X-Factors
Boston: Marcus Smart
The primary defender on Steph Curry and the primary ball-handler on offense, Smart is going to have opportunities to make life a on-court nightmare for Curry and the Warriors. Smart has historically played strong against Curry but things can change when seeing the same guy potentially seven times.
Warriors: Jordan Poole
I went Poole with the feeling his role in this finals will fluctuate, depending on his activity defensively. Poole is more than likely going to see 25 minutes a night at the minimum, but whether those minutes become higher will depend on his ability to stay in-front of any Boston offensive player while still being to get 15-20 points.
Extras
The Golden State Warriors have 123 games of NBA Finals experience on their roster compared to the Celtics’ 0.
Golden State is 9-0 at home in these playoffs.
Boston has not lost back-to-back games since March 28-March 30.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are the fourth pairing to make the NBA Finals while leading their teams in scoring while both being under the age of 25.
Prediction
The only thing that would surprise me is if this series ended in under six games. I’m going to lean slightly towards Golden State. Curry get his fourth ring plus his first Finals MVP.
Warriors in 7.
Enjoy the series!
JB Sports Talk 