The 2022 NBA season has reached a thrilling finale that sees the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics go head-to-head in the NBA Finals. The best of seven format has seen four games played, with both the Warriors and Celtics winning two games apiece. All the best sports betting sites have the Golden State Warriors as firm favorites to win their seventh NBA Championship ahead of Game 5 on June 14.
Golden State Warriors were the dominant force in the mid-2010s, winning the NBA Championship in 2015, 2017, and 2018 while reaching the finals but losing in 2016 and 2019. Injuries to key personnel, especially their talismanic point guard Stephen Curry, resulted in the Warriors failing to reach the playoffs in both the 2019-20 and 2020-21 campaigns but the team from San Francisco was back to its brilliant best for this season.
A Much Improved Golden State Warriors Team
The Warriors finished with a 53-29 record in the Pacific Division, some 11 games behind winners the Phoenix Suns. This record was enough for third place in the Western Conference and a return to the playoffs. They brushed aside the Denver Nuggets 4-1, with Curry, Andrew Wiggins, and Draymond Green being standout performers. The Warriors then made easy work of the Memphis Grizzlies, defeating them 4-2. Then came the 4-1 one-sided affair against the much-fancied Dallas Mavericks; Curry was fantastic yet again.
Warriors face the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals, a team with 17 championship rings to their name but none since 2018. Nobody except the Celtics thought they would navigate their way to the final, but here they are, and they are not here to make up the numbers.
Celtics Take The Lead After Game 1
The Celtics won the first of the best-of-seven series 120-108 despite trailing by 12 points going into the fourth quarter. However, Celtics hit nine three-pointers in the final quarter to clinch victory from the jaws of defeat. It was the first time in ten games that the Warriors had lost at home in the playoffs.
Game 2 saw Curry shine brightly on the court, scoring 29 points as the Warriors emerged the victors in a 107-88 game. The Celtics raced to an early nine-point lead, but a flurry of mistakes saw them fall behind and never threaten the Warriors. It seemed the high-pressure occasion got to the Celtics players, who made 11 first-half turnovers and another 19 in the second half. Those 19 second-half mistakes gifted the Warriors 33 points.
Curry Continues To Carry The Warriors
The Celtics took a 2-1 lead after Game 3 thanks to a 116-100 victory. Jaylen Brown scored 27 points, with 17 of those coming in the first quarter. Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart added 26 and 24 points, respectfully. Curry was, once again, the Warriors’ best player; he racked up a game-high 31 points before leaving the court with a left leg injury.
Curry played in the most recent Game 4 despite getting injured in the previous game. He did not show any effects of the injury; he scored 43 points as the Warriors tied the series 2-2 with a 107-97 victory. Amazingly, Celtics led 94-90 with five minutes on the clock, but the Warriors scored ten points without reply and never looked back.
Curry averages 34.3 points per game in the finals and has made 25 of his 51 three-point attempts. Even his teammates have admitted Curry is carrying the team and that they need to do more to take some pressure off him.
The Celtics are still in this despite what the bookmakers say. All they have to do is stop Curry from being effective and allow their stars to accumulate points. The problem is that it is practically impossible to stop Curry when he is in this form. It looks like the 2022 NBA Finals trophy is heading back to San Francisco.
