{"id":33356,"date":"2022-06-02T09:20:05","date_gmt":"2022-06-02T09:20:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/nba-finals-preview-boston-celtics-take-on-golden-state\/"},"modified":"2022-06-02T09:20:05","modified_gmt":"2022-06-02T09:20:05","slug":"nba-finals-preview-boston-celtics-take-on-golden-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/nba-finals-preview-boston-celtics-take-on-golden-state\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA Finals Preview: Boston Celtics Take On Golden State"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">It would be Stephen Curry&#8217;s fourth NBA championship, or Jayson Tatum&#8217;s first.  It would be a comeback story for the ages for Klay Thompson, or a fairy-tale ending to the debut of the first-time head coach Ime Udoka.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Much is at stake in the 2022 NBA finals for Golden State and the Boston Celtics, two teams with something to prove.  For Golden State, it&#8217;s a chance to defy the odds against reviving a dynasty after two seasons away from the spotlight.  For Boston and its lineup of rising stars, this is, as they say, when legends are made.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Here is a look at what to expect in the NBA finals, which begin Thursday in San Francisco.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Third-seeded Golden State has home-court advantage over second-seeded Boston because of its better regular-season record.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"css-xactqe eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-9206c0d\">Experience may not be everything.<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">After the Boston Celtics won Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals, their words about facing Golden State in the NBA finals conveyed a blend of confidence and deference.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cWe know we&#8217;re going up against a great team with the Warriors.  Great players, great organization, \u201dCeltics guard Marcus Smart said.  \u201cThey have the track record to prove it.  They know exactly what it takes.  They&#8217;ve been here.  They&#8217;re vets.  We know we&#8217;ve got a long road in front of us, but we&#8217;re up for the challenge. &#8220;<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">These finals are marked by a gap in experience, with one team well seasoned in championship basketball and another filled with newcomers to this stage.  Golden State has five players who have made multiple finals appearances &#8211; Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, Kevon Looney and Andre Iguodala.  The Celtics have no players who have made it this far before now.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Part of that is a function of age.  Boston&#8217;s roster is filled with players in their 20s, while Golden State is a group of 30-somethings whose lives have changed since their first finals appearances.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cJust being able to balance even just, like, family life,\u201d Curry said after Game 5 of the Western Conference finals.  &#8220;I&#8217;m blessed to have kids that are now 9, 6 and 3. Like, when I was back in &#8217;14, &#8217;15, chasing those playoffs, just a different vibe in terms of everything that&#8217;s going on in life.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Smart was a 21-year-old rookie in 2015, the first time Curry, Green and Thompson won an NBA championship.  Jayson Tatum, who was named the Eastern Conference finals most valuable player this year, was in 11th grade.  Their teammate Jaylen Brown had just finished high school and was headed to play college basketball at the University of California, Berkeley &#8211; just 11 miles from where Golden State played at the time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">By the 2015 championship, with the exception of Looney, whom the Warriors drafted a few weeks after winning the title, Golden State&#8217;s return finals participants had all been through years of seasoning and early playoff exits.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The 2021-22 Celtics have similarly spent the past few years learning how to win in the playoffs, and dealing with the bitterness of losing.  Boston has been to the playoffs every year since 2015 and made it to the conference finals four times.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But Golden State&#8217;s journey shows that finals experience isn&#8217;t everything.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">When the Warriors won the 2015 championship, they faced a Cleveland Cavaliers team led by LeBron James.  James was making his fifth consecutive finals appearance and sixth overall.  But he couldn&#8217;t stop Golden State from winning the series in six games.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But James was also relatively new to that team.  The depth of Golden State&#8217;s experience will help carry the team this month.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">Prediction<\/strong>: Golden State in six.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"css-xactqe eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-4e712c99\">Draymond Green is Golden State&#8217;s &#8217;emotional leader.&#8217;<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<div class=\"css-zera2v\">\n<div class=\"css-sklrp3\">\n<div class=\"css-1u5onbp epjyd6m1\">\n<div class=\"css-165eim7 ey68jwv0\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Stephen Curry has famously drained more 3-pointers than anyone in history.  Klay Thompson is still basking in his triumphant return from two cataclysmic injuries.  And Jordan Poole, out of the morass of Golden State&#8217;s two seasons on dynastic hiatus, has emerged as one of the most dynamic young scorers in the league.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">As the Warriors return to the NBA finals, several players have fueled their run.  But is it possible amid all the team&#8217;s pyrotechnics that Draymond Green &#8211; the team&#8217;s highly opinionated, referee-tormenting spokesman &#8211; is somehow being overlooked?  OK, maybe not.  But in his 10th season, Green is making his sixth trip to the finals, and it is no coincidence.  He is the defense-minded, pass-first force who binds his teammates in more ways than one.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cOur emotional leader,\u201d Coach Steve Kerr said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">And Green has seldom, if ever, played better basketball than he has this postseason.  In Golden State&#8217;s closeout win over the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference finals, he collected 17 points, 9 assists and 6 rebounds while shooting 6 of 7 from the field.  He quarterbacked the offense.  He was a menace on defense.  He used up five of his six personal fouls di lui.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">He also avoided partaking in many of the extracurriculars that had hampered him in the past &#8211; at least until after the game, when he spoke about facing the Celtics with a championship at stake.  The problem was that the Celtics were still playing the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals.  In fact, the Heat would force a Game 7 before falling short.  But in Green&#8217;s mind, he was never wrong.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">&#8220;I thought they were the better team, and <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/957thegame\/status\/1531750003386949638?s=20&amp;t=8bplWEn9IUZMnICpV9pn1A\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">clearly I wasn&#8217;t far off<\/a>\u201dGreen said this week on San Francisco&#8217;s KGMZ-FM, Golden State&#8217;s radio broadcast partner.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In his own way, Green was a source of stability for the organization as the team labored with injuries in recent seasons.  He mentored his younger teammates.  He was in uniform when Curry and Thompson were absent.  He acknowledged that it wasn&#8217;t always easy: He was accustomed to competing for championships, and suddenly Golden State had the worst record in the league.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Now, back alongside Curry and Thompson, Green has another title in sight.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">&#8220;I can&#8217;t say that I thought coming into this season, like, &#8216;Yo, we&#8217;re going to win a championship,&#8217; or, &#8216;We&#8217;re going to be in the NBA finals,'&#8221; Green said.  &#8220;But I always believed with us three that we have a chance.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">Prediction: <\/strong>More rested and more experienced, Golden State wins the series in six games.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"css-xactqe eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-bafa0af\">They&#8217;re both great on defense, but different on offense.<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<div class=\"css-zera2v\">\n<div class=\"css-sklrp3\">\n<div class=\"css-1u5onbp epjyd6m1\">\n<div class=\"css-165eim7 ey68jwv0\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><img alt=\"Sopan Deb\" title=\"Sopan Deb\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2021\/10\/19\/reader-center\/author-sopan-deb\/author-sopan-deb-thumbLarge.png?ssl=1\" class=\"css-1bfqq7u ey68jwv2\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The connections between Celtics Coach Ime Udoka and Golden State Coach Steve Kerr &#8211; both former NBA role players &#8211; are numerous.  Both led their teams to the finals in their first seasons as a head coach, Kerr in 2014-15, when Golden State won the championship, and Udoka this year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">They are also connected to San Antonio Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich.  Udoka was an assistant on the Spurs from 2012 to 2019, which resulted in a championship in 2014. Udoka also played three seasons for the Spurs, while Kerr played four seasons in San Antonio and won two championships.  Both also worked with Popovich on the US men&#8217;s national basketball team.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Popovich&#8217;s influence is clear.  Udoka and Kerr have preached the value of a staunch defense.  Boston and Golden State were the two best defensive teams in the NBA during the regular season.  And like Popovich, the coaches are willing to bluntly criticize players publicly.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Where they diverge is offensively.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Udoka has installed a methodical, slower offense.  The Celtics frequently run isolations, ranking near the top of the NBA during the regular season, while Golden State was near the bottom.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In part, that comes down to personnel: Boston&#8217;s two best players, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, are adept at getting to the rim and breaking defenses down one-on-one but less so at passing.  In addition, the Celtics start Marcus Smart at point guard, and he isn&#8217;t a traditional pass-first guard.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Kerr, meanwhile, has long preached an egalitarian offense hinging on ball movement &#8211; so much so that Kevin Durant, after leaving Golden State for the Nets in 2019, complained that Kerr&#8217;s offense had been limiting.  This season, Golden State led the NBA in scoring off cuts to the basket, while the Celtics were just around league average.  Golden State also was second in the league in total passes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">There&#8217;s another difference, too.  Kerr is more willing to experiment with lineups.  He has given significant minutes to rookies such as Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga, shuffling them in and out of the rotation.  In the playoffs, Kerr gave the 19-year-old Kuminga three starts in the semifinal series against the Memphis Grizzlies.  Moody, 20, was in the rotation against the Dallas Mavericks in the conference finals.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Udoka has preferred to keep his rotations fairly predictable, particularly in the playoffs, rarely reaching down the Celtics&#8217; bench even in the case of foul trouble.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">Prediction: <\/strong>Celtics in six.  Their defense is well designed to chase Stephen Curry around.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It would be Stephen Curry&#8217;s fourth NBA championship, or Jayson Tatum&#8217;s first. It would be a comeback story for the ages for Klay Thompson, or a fairy-tale ending to the debut of the first-time head coach Ime Udoka. Much is at stake in the 2022 NBA finals for Golden State and the Boston Celtics, two &hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"> <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/nba-finals-preview-boston-celtics-take-on-golden-state\/\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">NBA Finals Preview: Boston Celtics Take On Golden State<\/span> Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2022\/06\/02\/sports\/02nba-finals-preview-lede\/02nba-finals-preview-lede-facebookJumbo.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33356"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33356"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33356\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33356"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33356"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33356"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}