May 29, 2022; Miami, Florida, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) reacts after winning the Larry Bird Eastern Conference Finals MVP trophy after game seven of the 2022 eastern conference finals at FTX Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports
NBA: Playoffs-Boston Celtics at Miami Heat
The Warriors will play the Celtics in the NBA Finals after Boston was able to win game 7 on the road against the Miami Heat. The Celtics didn’t make it easy on themselves though nearly blowing a 16-point lead late but eventually winning by four.
I think that this NBA Finals matchup between the Celtics and Warriors will be a great one. The Celtics have a couple of great scorers in Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Al Horford who has surprised a lot of people in these playoffs including myself. The Celtics also have a couple of good defenders in Marcus Smart who won the Defensive Player of the Year award and Grant Williams.
Both Smart and Williams will guard Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson in the NBA Finals which will be a tall task for them. I think Smart and Williams can make Curry and Thompson work hard for their shots, but it will be hard to stop the two best shooters of all time. This is the Celtics first appearance in the NBA Finals since 2010.
This is the Warriors 6th appearance in the Finals in the past 8 years. Golden State has been dominant all playoffs long and will look to continue that in the Finals against Boston. Many players have stepped up for the Warriors throughout the playoffs including Steph Curry who won Western Conference Finals MVP, Klay Thompson who hit 8 threes in game five against Dallas, and has played well in these playoffs so far, Andrew Wiggins who has taken his game to another level this year, and will appear in his first Finals, and Jordan Poole who impacts the game in many different ways with his ability to shoot, pass and defend. Poole has continued to get better throughout the season, and I think will play a key role in the NBA Finals. Game one will be on Thursday Night in Golden State.
