2022 NBA Finals Preview: Celtics vs. Warriors

The 2021-22 NBA season is coming to a close. Tonight, the Eastern Conference No. 2 seed Boston Celtics will travel more than 3,000 miles to San Fransisco to take on the West’s No. 3 Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Though there are no former Wildcats set to play in the series, it still holds promise to be one of the best in recent memory.

Let’s see how each team got here.

Boston Celtics: from bad, to worst, to the championship

If you stopped watching NBA basketball in late January, you would probably be shocked to see the Celtics in this matchup — and rightfully so. On Jan. 6, the Celtics blew a 25-point lead to the Knicks on an RJ Barrett buzzer-beater and became a social media laughing stock. In mid-January, they sat in 11th place in the Eastern Conference. Even a Play-In opportunity seemed out of reach, as the team fell below the .500 mark on the season.

In fact, according to FiveThirtyEight’s RAPTOR-based prediction model, the Celtics held just a 61.4% chance of making the playoffs on Jan. 22. Their chances of winning the title? Just 3%.

Then, something changed.

A few somethings, actually. First-year head coach Ime Udoka, who had been relentlessly questioned by fans and the media, finally got through to his team. First, the offense — from good to great. “You pass up a good shot to get a great shot,” Celtics star Jayson Tatum said after a Game 2 Semifinals win over the Milwaukee Bucks.

The defense was a little more complicated. Boston switched everything defensively — and it worked. Over the last three months of the regular season, the Celtics held the NBA’s best defensive rating at 104.9. To put an exclamation point on their efforts, long-time Boston point guard Marcus Smart won Defensive Player of the Year.

The Celtics finished the regular season on a 28-7 run before heading to the postseason but boy has they had a tough road since. First, the Celtics defeated the preseason title favorite Brooklyn Nets and their star-studded roster, although they did so in a four-game sweep. Next, they faced the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks and won in seven games. Most recently, they beat the No. 1 seed Miami Heat in another seven-game series to advance to the championship round.

"They said we couldn't play together!"

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown share a moment after reaching the NBA Finals 🤝 @jaytatum0 @FCHWPO pic.twitter.com/JPnR9r0CMb

— ESPN (@espn) May 30, 2022

The gold-standard Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors had a much different road to the finals. Despite missing the NBA Playoffs last year, the Warriors began the 2021-22 regular season on an 18-2 hot streak. However, the team faced injuries throughout the season.

Golden State shooting guard Klay Thompson tore his left ACL in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals. Then, shortly before he planned to return for the 2020-21 season, he tore his right Achilles. In January, he finally made his long-awaited return after 31 months away from the game.

Right as he returned in January, though, the injury bug bit again. Shortly after Thompson came back, Draymond Green suffered a back injury that sidelined him for an extended period of time. Then, when Green returned, Steph Curry suffered a sprained left foot. The fearsome Thompson-Green-Curry trio played only 22 meaningful possessions together during the regular season.

While the old-timers were sidelined, though, some newer faces were emerging. Andrew Wiggins was able to earn his first All-Star appearance and Jordan Poole’s play put him in the running for the Most Improved Player candidate.

With Curry’s return to start the postseason, the Warriors have been rolling. After easily defeating the Nuggets 4-1 in the first round, they battled with Memphis for a 4-2 semifinal win. Most recently, they played the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals where they escaped relatively easy with a 4-1 series win.

The moment @StephenCurry30 was named Western Conference Finals MVP 🏆 pic.twitter.com/mcYrGyJJwe

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 27, 2022

Game 1 tips off at 9 p.m. from San Francisco

The two teams played twice in the regular season. The Warriors won the first 111-107 at home. Curry and Wiggins combined for 57 points in that one. Tatum and Brown had 47 of their own, but it wasn’t enough. The Celtics won the second matchup in mid-March, 110-88. Curry injured his ankle just 20 minutes into that game while fumbling for a loose ball.

Below is the entire series schedule.

• Game 1: Thursday, June 2: Boston vs. Golden State, 9 ET, ABC
• Game 2: Sunday, June 5: Boston vs. Golden State, 8 ET, ABC
• Game 3: Wednesday, June 8: Golden State vs. Boston, 9 ET, ABC
• Game 4: Friday, June 10: Golden State vs. Boston, 9 ET, ABC
• Game 5: Monday, June 13: Boston vs. Golden State, 9 ET, ABC (If necessary)
• Game 6: Thursday, June 16: Golden State vs. Boston, 9 ET, ABC (If necessary)
• Game 7: Sunday, June 19: Boston vs. Golden State, 8 ET, ABC (If necessary)