Boston Celtics vs Golden State Warriors
The Celtics are three wins away from getting their record-breaking 18th NBA championship, but their job is far from over especially against this Warriors team.
After drawing first blood in Game 1, the Celtics must prepare for what will be a dogfight since the Warriors are planning to bounce back in Game 2 tomorrow at the Chase Center in San Francisco.
Following the loss, Warriors forward Draymond Green remains confident about their chances, and it’ll be interesting to see how they’ll respond.
Because they’ve won the first game, the NBA 2022 odds have slightly shifted towards Boston’s favour, but more importantly, they’ve proven that the bright lights of the Finals don’t faze them despite their collective inexperience.
We have another exciting game on our hands basketball fans, so buckle up and continue to read below as we preview tomorrow’s match.
Talking Points
Expect Jayson Tatum to bounce back for the Celtics
The amazing thing about the Celtics’ Game 1 victory is that they did it even with their No. 1 option not at his best form.
Jayson Tatum was held to only 12 points on 3-for-17 shooting, although he made up for it with his solid playmaking as he dished out the most assists in a Finals debut with 13 – surpassing the likes of Isiah Thomas, Michael Jordan, and John Stockton in the process. Also, he did a great job in taking care of the basketball since he only had two turnovers.
Considering that he’s primarily known as a score-first player, seeing him display his passing skills was a sight to behold if you’re a Celtics fan because it signifies his growth in that regard these past few years.
With Tatum struggling, the others picked up the slack as Al Horford, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart had 26, 24, and 18, while Derrick White chipped in 21 off the bench. And after what they did in the fourth quarter where those four led the way to outscore the hosts 40-16, the Warriors may have to rethink their whole defencive approach.
Because of their balanced effort in Game 1, Tatum should be able to have better looks on the offencive end which would lead to more buckets and NBA 2022 highlights in Game 2 – much to the Celtics’ benefit.
Warriors need more from Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole
While Steph Curry lit up the Celtics, his other Splash Brothers in Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole failed to make much of an impact as expected.
Thompson had 15 on 6-for-14 shooting with three three-pointers, while Poole was held to nine points in 25 minutes. After the game, Klay Thompson said that he will be better in Game 2, and he should.
Poole is the Warriors’ x-factor because he can provide instant offence, but he must take care of the ball and play better defence since he had four turnovers in Game 1.
The Warriors’ mature core is not getting any younger, so efficiency on both ends is going to be needed from Poole – particularly if his bench counterpart Derrick White is punishing the Warriors.
History
Since Steve Kerr took over as their head coach in 2015, the Warriors have compiled a winning record against every NBA team but one – of course, the Celtics.
Golden State have won two straight against Boston in his first year at the helm, but since then, the latter has won 10 of their last 15 matchups, making Kerr’s career record against them 7-10.
During the regular season, the Celtics and the Warriors have split their matchups. Golden State won their first meeting on the road last December and lost their second meeting at home last March.
Many Warriors fans are led to believe that they no longer need Kevin Durant following his departure after the 2019 season, but the stats tell otherwise.
They have lost six consecutive Finals home games without Durant. Overall, they’re 9-1 with him and 8-11 without him.
What are the odds?
The Celtics are now given the slight edge by the SBOTOP odds to win the whole thing. However, as far as tomorrow’s concerned, the Warriors should and must be able to tie the series to one game apiece.
The hosts are favoured in the Asian Handicap market with odds of -5.00 @ 2.11, indicating that we have another tight game on our hands. Steph Curry and co. have shown that they’re not great at coming back from series deficits in the Finals, so they should treat tomorrow a must-win game to avoid a 0-2 hole.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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