For the first time in twelve years, the Boston Celtics are in the NBA Finals. In the other corner of the ring, the Golden State Warriors are one of the most experienced teams when it comes to the NBA Finals. It’s Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green’s sixth NBA Finals appearance! That is incredible. So what are the stories besides that one? Can the Celtics finally complete the incredible turnaround with a record-breaking 18th NBA Championship? Al Horford, after playing in 141 playoff games over his 15-year career, is finally in the NBA Finals. Can Stephen Curry finally add new hardware to his collection by taking home the Bill Russell Finals MVP Trophy? Both teams won on the opponent’s floor, making the season series tied at 1-1. There are a lot of stories coming into this exciting NBA Finals. However, we have to make a prediction.
I’m a big Celtics fan, but I have to stay unbiased for this series. The Celtics are by far the better defensive team. The best defensive player in this series, however, might be Draymond Green, with his ability to guard multiple positions and use his size. On the other hand, Marcus Smart took home this season’s Defensive Player of the Year award. The Warriors are a better offensive team, with Hall of Famers Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson leading the way. The Celtics are a strong offensive group too, with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. The role players will be key in the series. For the Celtics, other than who I’ve mentioned so far in this paragraph, Al Horford, Robert Williams III, Grant Williams, and Derrick White are going to need to have major contributions to beat a team as talented as the Warriors. Payton Pritchard has been quiet as well, but if he can pick up some of the work, then let him go to work. The Warriors have found new stardom for Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins, both coming up clutch for Golden State this postseason. Kevon Looney will be vital to the Warriors’ success, even though he’s overlooked a lot. Gary Payton II is a player who needs to produce coming off the bench. The more talented team is the Golden State Warriors, while the tougher team award goes to the Celtics. The Warriors have home-court advantage, but the Celtics have shown great success on the road and have not lost back-to-back games since March, falling to the Toronto Raptors twice.
So, who wins the NBA Finals? My prediction: Warriors in 7 games.
I hope I’m wrong. I really do. I’m rooting for the Celtics. But, the Warriors are too experienced and talented for me to side with the Celtics. It’s going to go to six or seven games, I have no doubt about that.
NBA Finals Schedule:
Game 1 (@GS): Celtics win 120-108 (Celtics lead 1-0)
Game 2 (@GS): Warriors win 107-88 (Series tied 1-1)
Game 3 (@BOS): Celtics win 116-100 (Celtics lead 2-1)
Game 4 (@BOS): Warriors win 107-97 (Series tied 2-2)
Game 5 (@GS): Warriors win 104-94 (Warriors lead 3-2)
Game 6 (@BOS): Warriors win 103-90 (Warriors win 4-2)
Calhoun's Corner 