Start of the NBA Finals 2022!
It’s time: The Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics open the NBA Finals in Game 1! The visitors last prevailed against the best team of the regular season in the Eastern Conference, Miami.
However, it was a hard piece of work – only after seven games could the ticket for the final be booked. For their part, the home side completed the final in the West in much more commanding fashion: They defeated the Mavericks from Dallas 4:1.
For the clash between Golden State and Boston in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, here is a current tip from today!
Golden State Warriors – Statistics & current form
The Californians are in the NBA Finals for the sixth time in the last eight seasons!
An impressive number, which was last achieved in this form in the 1990s by the Chicago Bulls with Michael Jordan in their ranks.
A further look at the history of the playoffs in the NBA shows how rare such a performance is to observe over almost a decade.
Only the two record champions LA Lakers in the 1980s and Boston Celtic in the 1950s and 1960s achieved this feat.
Warriors convince as a team
Past series have shown that the Warriors have been too strong for opponents, especially as a collective.
Whether in the first round against Denver with the new and old MVP Nikola Jokic or most recently against Dallas with a strong Luka Doncic, the opponents with their respective exceptional players simply could not stand up to the team cohesion of the Warriors.
With the eighth-best shooter of the postseason Stephen Curry or Draymond Green, who is a walking “technical foul” and above all an emotional leader, the squad is well-stocked across the board.
Klay Thompson can also be counted among the top players represented several times. Admittedly, after his return to the court this season after more than two years, the “Splash Brother” is not yet as consistent as he was before his serious injuries.
But the last game against the Mavs showed that he is still capable of top performances at any time. Against the Texans, he sank no less than eight threes, one more than in the entire previous series.
With this performance, he is now the only player in the history of the NBA playoffs to have made such a number or more in five games.
The very good team play of Kerr’s squad can also be seen in the fact that no team produced more assists per game in the postseason (28.3).
Curry is currently distributing the Spalding with great accuracy
Stephen Curry in particular has been strong in this regard: In the review of the last series against the Mavs, he recorded an average of 7.4 assists and was thus more than one assist above his record from the postseason and regular season.
With this in mind, the odds on more than 5.5 assists by the “chef” in the duel between Golden State and Boston also make sense.
Grizzlies were the biggest stumbling block
However, part of the truth is also that Golden State had to go over six games at least against Memphis in the second round of the 2022 postseason, and the opponent was unable to use its clear best player Ja Morant due to injury in the interim.
With the reigning MIP on board, the series would certainly have been even more exciting, which is why the Warriors were definitely lucky in this round.
Head Coach Steve Kerr can also rely on home advantage: The “Dubs” have won all nine home games so far in the postseason!
Boston Celtics – Statistics & current form
The Celtics already had to go over seven games in the series against Milwaukee in the East semi-finals. But the victory now over Miami was even more impressive because the deciding game was won away from home.
The visitors can also continue to rely on their defence. In the postseason, they have allowed an average of only 101.3 points to their opponents in the 17 games they have played.
After the now eliminated men from Miami, this record represents the best value together with the Bucks, who have been on holiday for a long time.
While they are now up against the best offence in the playoffs so far, given their defensive performances so far, the Warriors should have a lot more trouble going forward this time around compared to their previous opponents.
No more than 107 points for the home side?
In light of this, the odds on a maximum of 107 points by the hosts in the showdown between Golden State and Boston in Game 1 of the NBA Finals are also interesting.
In terms of personnel, head coach Ime Udoka, who advanced to the Finals in his debut season, can almost draw from a full roster. Marcus Smart, who injured his ankle in the meantime, has been available again for several games.
He is of enormous importance for the defence of the own basket, as the 28-year-old was recently awarded the best defensive player of the season.
Also available is Robert Williams III, who is also suffering from a knee injury, but has been playing recently regardless.
With an average of 1.9 blocks in the 2022 NBA Playoffs, the fourth-best figure of all players in the postseason, he is also a reason why the visitors’ defence must be regarded as particularly strong.
Golden State Warriors – Boston Celtics Head-to-head comparison / H2H record
The last direct duel took place last March. At that time, Boston clearly prevailed away from home with a 22-point lead. Not a new pattern: The home side has won only one of the past seven meetings!
The last time the teams faced each other in an NBA final was in 1964! Back then, the Celtics prevailed 4:1 and won their sixth title in a row. A streak they went on to add two more championships to.
Golden State Warriors – Boston Celtics Tip
For the duel between the Warriors and Celtics in Game 1, the tip aims for an away win or a home win with a maximum difference of three points. As described, the guests are not Golden State’s favourite opponent from a statistical point of view.
In addition, the winner of the Eastern Conference travels with a very strong defence, in which, among others, the “DPOY” of this season is in the person of Marcus Smart. Other important defensive players of the guests, who are banged up, will nevertheless start as well.
