Despite having no player with prior NBA Finals experience, the Celtics entered the finals with aplomb as they made a huge opening statement against the battle-tested Warriors.
In other NBA 2022 news, LeBron James is still having a great month of June despite not playing in this season’s Finals as he became the first active player to reach the $1-B mark, according to Forbes, and his Lakers recently brought in a new coach to which he approves.
Without further ado, continue to read on below as we’re here to keep you up-to-date with the latest updates around the Association.
Celtics score emphatic Game 1 win against the Warriors
The NBA 2022 odds here at SBOTOP initially favoured the Warriors since they were unbeaten at home so far in this playoffs and it looked like they were about to extend their win streak to 10 games here in Game 1.
After a back-and-forth first half, Golden State made their trademark third quarter run where they outscored Boston 38-24 led by Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Andrew Wiggins, and they were leading 92-80 entering the final period.
But the Celtics, who have been through so much adversity prior to the Finals, dug deep and clawed their way back into the ballgame.
Jaylen Brown was the catalyst in the fourth quarter as he scored five quick points and assisted on an alley-oop dunk to Robert Williams III to pull the Celtics within five points with 9:35 left.
Brown knocked down a three-pointer to reduce the lead to two before Klay Thompson replied with a three of his own to bring it back to five.
Derrick White and Payton Pritchard made big shots to eventually tie the game, then Al Horford’s three-pointer with 5:10 remaining gave the Celtics the lead for good.
Al Horford and Marcus Smart made a few more shots down the stretch to hold off the Warriors, and now the Celtics are three wins away from capturing their record-breaking 18th title.
The Celtics’ big man finished with a team-high of 26 points with six threes, while Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Marcus Smart added 24, 21, and 18. Jayson Tatum, who was the star in the Celtics’ previous series, had a forgettable Finals debut with only 12 points on 3-for-17 shooting. However, he made up for it with his 13 assists.
Steph Curry finished with 34 points with seven threes in the losing effort, while Andrew Wiggins, Klay Thompson, and Otto Porter Jr. are the Warriors’ other double-digit scorers with 20, 15, and 12 respectively.
LeBron James officially a billionaire
LeBron James may have had a lacklustre 2021/22 season, but he’s still winning off the court as he became the second billionaire player in NBA history. Michael Jordan is the other billionaire, but he didn’t reach that mark until 2014, which is more than a decade after his last professional game.
In his time in the NBA, LeBron James has earned over $385-M from his 19-year career with the Cavaliers, Heat, and the Lakers. While playing, The King also raked in a ton of money from his various business ventures.
He made more than $500-M from cash and investments, including from the sale of Beats by Dre to Apple in 2014, along with his tie-ups with SpringHill and fitness company Beachbody.
James is also part of the Fenway Sports Group where he reportedly gained an additional $90-M. The group owns Liverpool, Fenway Park, Red Sox, Roush Fenway Racing, and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Furthermore, James has about $110-M In real estate holdings and interests in the food and beverage industry, including his stake in Blaze Pizza and his properties in Los Angeles and Akron, Ohio.
Lakers get a new coach but they’ll maintain the same core
After an extensive coaching search, the Lakers found their new man in Darvin Ham as he was signed to a four-year deal to take over from Frank Vogel who was sacked a few months ago.
Darvin Ham has been a long-time assistant for various teams after his playing days, but the tough-as-nails tactician will have a lot on his plate in trying to fix the Lakers.
Much of the Lakers’ woes can be attributed to injuries and lack of consistency, and Ham was brought in to try and solve their issues given his strong reputation from across the Association.
His main task is to find a way to maximise Russell Westbrook along with LeBron James and Anthony Davis since it is likely that they’ll keep him for another season given his diminishing market value.
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