Media by Associated Press – Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) against the Dallas Mavericks during Game 5 of the NBA basketball playoffs Western Conference finals in San Francisco, Thursday, May 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
The Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors will begin their NBA Finals series Thursday night in San Francisco. The Celtics are seeking their first championship since 2008, while Golden State is hoping to add its fourth championship since 2015. Boston’s path to the championship was more hard-fought than Golden State’s was.
The Celtics had to survive seven-game wars with Milwaukee and Miami to reach the finals. Golden State finished off Dallas in five games to earn extra rest before the finals. Here’s a look at some news and notes before the start of the finals.
Golden State injury news still light
Gary Payton II, Otto Porter Jr., and Andre Iguodala all practiced for Golden State Monday. Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he doesn’t have a good feel for if any of all of them will be available when the finals start. Iguodala, who was NBA Finals MVP in 2015, suffered a neck injury in the first round and hasn’t played since.
Iguodala, who is 38, has only played in 31 games this season. Porter Jr., who has been a valuable role player, was injured in the last series against Dallas. Porter is averaging 5.5 points and 4.1 rebounds per game during the playoffs.
Turning back the clock
First-year Celtics coach Ime Udoka recently said Boston has an ambitious goal on defense. Boston wants to try and keep its opponents to scoring in the mid to low 20s per quarter.
That is difficult in the 3-point happy NBA. However, the Celtics have shown when possible, this is a blueprint for success.
In the four games Boston won against Miami, the Celtics held the Heat to 26 or fewer points in 13 quarters. Against Milwaukee in the second round, the Celtics had 19 quarters where they held Milwaukee to 26 or fewer points in a quarter.
Protect the rock
Golden State hasn’t been careful in possession this postseason. When you shoot as well as the Warriors due, it is easy to be careless with the ball at times.
But against a team like Boston, where possessions are precious, Golden State will want to try and reverse that trend. The Warriors have committed 14.8 turnovers per game during the postseason, which their opponents have converted into 15.9 points per game.
Those numbers are especially bad in Golden State’s losses. When the Warriors have lost in the playoffs, they cough up the ball 16.3 times per game. In those games, Golden State’s opponents convert those mistakes into 20.8 points per game.
Ime ready for his close up
Ime Udoka was asked to take over a Boston Celtics team where the former coach, Brad Stevens, would still be around in the front office. While many first-year NBA coaches have won championships, no one has a background like Udoka’s.
Udoka worked his way through the lower levels of professional basketball before landing some time with the San Antonio Spurs and Portland Trail Blazers.
After serving as an assistant coach with San Antonio, Philadelphia, and Brooklyn, Udoka was brought on board with the Celtics as their head coach.
Udoka will be looking to be the first NBA coach to win a championship in his first season since Nick Nurse did it with the Toronto Raptors, also against the Warriors, in 2019.
For more NBA betting picks and previews, check out our picks page.