The NBA Finals game between the Boston Celtics and the Golden State Warriors should be great.
These teams are balanced. The Celtics finished the first regular season of the league in defensive efficiency. The Warriors finished second. Still, each team has an explosive offensive firepower, with Jayson Tatum leading the way for Boston and Stephen Curry following Golden State.
The Warriors and Celtics split their two regular-season clashes, making it difficult to draw definitive conclusions. On Dec. 17 in Boston, the Warriors defeated the Celtics 111-107, but Klay Thompson, Jordan Poole, Al Horford and Grant Williams did not play that night. On March 16 in San Francisco, the Celtics defeated the Warriors 110-88 in a game that Andrew Wiggins of the Warriors lost.
So how will the finals play out?
To answer this question, Athletic has turned to three experts: an explorer, a coach and a team executive. We granted each of them anonymity because their respective teams did not give them permission to publicly comment on this series.
(Editor’s note: their ratings have been slightly edited for brevity and clarity).
Listening perspective: “I’m choosing Boston. They had a very rough road, a very competitive road to get here: Brooklyn, Milwaukee and Miami, all very good teams, even the Nets. The Nets could have easily won a couple of games or even and all three in this series, so all this stuff about the inexperience (of the Celtics) and not being in the final, I wouldn’t throw it out the window, but they won two games in the 7, and one of those on the track of the others.So they have certainly resisted so far.
“Size will be an issue for the Celtics. Kevon Looney was outstanding in the previous series for the Warriors and was sometimes the best player for them. I think Boston can certainly neutralize that, whether it’s Al Horford or Robert Williams III or even Grant Williams or even Daniel Theis. So I think the size of the Celtics is going to be an issue for the Warriors.
“I don’t think Klay Thompson is back yet. “Either athletics or he’s getting a little older. I mean, he’s still a very good player. As for his superstar, he’s a little less. I think that’s a factor.”
“Curry is obviously a great player. On the other hand, the other team has the Defensive Player of the Year, Marcus Smart.
“Injuries will be an important factor. I think the Boston bench is better. Otto Porter Jr. has been in and out of the Warriors. Gary Payton II is supposed to be back, but he hasn’t played in a long time. How effective will it be? ⁇
“Golden State has the advantage of the local court, so you have to give them. That’s an advantage, especially when you get to Game 7. But in their previous series, Boston won three games in Miami. I just think the The Celtics are confident, and their stars have shown that they are up to the task.
“Jordan Poole? See you. Will he live up to the occasion right now? I’m not entirely convinced.”
“I think it should be a very good series. I thought Phoenix would get there. I think the best team came from the East and probably the second best team came from the West. ⁇
“Size will be a big factor. Boston, starting with Williams and Horford, is like the Celtics are massive. I just don’t think Looney has the same impact against these guys. Against Dallas … he could almost be dominant. But Boston is a completely different story.
“Since January and they got it, the Celtics have probably been the best team in the league. Winning two games 7 against very good teams, that’s a big confidence. I didn’t even mention Jayson Tatum. If you compare the two stars on each team: Tatum and Curry, (Jaylen) Brown and Thompson, I think I almost give Boston an advantage because I still don’t think Thompson is back.
“I should mention Andrew Wiggins. It could be an X-factor. It’s been a real advantage, and the Warriors need it to be very good. I don’t think they have a chance unless it’s very, very good. They just don’t have enough. “They can’t really count on Poole. They won’t have Looney. Thompson will give them a lot. But they need Andrew Wiggins to be older, and I don’t think they have a chance unless he acts at a very, very high level.”
“I think Boston has more depth, more size and it’s been achieved on time, and they will continue to do so.”
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, as well as Draymond Green (not pictured), go together to their fourth NBA championship. (Kelley L Cox / USA Today)
Coach’s perspective: “I think Boston will find a way, I really find it. They were my choice from the beginning.
“I still think Golden State is a machine. They’re just close to each other. And they’re so selfless. And they know their offense very well. Everyone who plays accepts the attack. And they make open shots and make hard shots. Their offense is dynamic, the way they surrender and cut and move without basketball is fun to watch.
“Boston’s defense will be good enough to be able to limit the easy cubes that Golden State generates. That’s what I’m considering. That’s the key for me. I think Boston will be able to get those points off the scoreboard. So when you say, “Curry and Thompson get eight points on their backs per game. They get the pin. They get the lob dunk. Okay, they get it all. But they get it on lower defensive teams. And my reason for choosing Boston is that they will be more disciplined than allowing this to happen.
“It’s all about health. Is Robert Williams playing? How’s Marcus Smart’s ankle? I think everyone’s in trouble, right? Will Gary Payton II be back? Does that help (Golden State)? who?
“Boston can play a lot with Robert Williams, maybe with Horford. They can play small with Grant Williams. They can change a lot. They’re physical. What I’d like to know is how officials call the series. with their bodies holding on, hitting, hitting, impeding progress? Or they say, “We don’t allow it. Are we calling this series a certain way? ‘ Not game by game, but basically the whole series, how will they officiate the series? I used to hear the term “freedom of movement.” That, for Steph Curry, is very important. Will Marcus Smart and the (Celtics) defenders of the perimeter hold on and prevent Curry from progressing? ⁇
“It depends (a) on the health of both teams and (b) on how the referees are convening the series. A lot was going on in the Eastern Conference finals, all the charges and the flops. And those same officials will officiate the final. “You’ll see Scott Foster and James Capers, all the same guys. But you have to navigate all the failures and fake shit. Some of them are fouls. a box and they tell you, “I’m going to whistle at you because I’m falling.” State.
“If you allow Golden State to play freely, if you let them play their offensive game, there’s no one who can beat them. If you say, ‘Marcus Smart, you’ll be allowed to put your body on a guy or approach go to Klay Thompson and interrupt him with your body and hit and hit the ball two or three times a game, “then we are playing basketball in the style of the Boston Celtics. trying to play with physics. Which will prevail: the Boston physicist or the Golden State filming? “
Marcus Smart (center), NBA Defensive Player of the Year, plays with physique, that is, if the officers allow this style of play. (David Butler II / USA Today)
Executive Perspective: “(The Celtics) got fucked all the time (in their run to the finals). Like, with the injuries in the East, Boston is the best team. They lose the fifth game at home against Milwaukee (in the second round), something you can’t do They lose Game 6 at home to a damaged Miami team (in the Eastern Finals) But their level of talent (it’s elite): Tatum and Brown … and his depth from one to seven, which is basically all he plays (Celtics coach Ime Udoka) They did a great job of shortening the bench, and they were the top seven. “Won the best team. Were they wrapped up more than you’d expect? Probably. But they’re the best team right now that everyone else is facing.” It’s been four months. the best team in the East.
“(But) the Warriors have an advantage at home, which I think will be a big problem. Obviously the audience is different from the Oracle (Arena), but it’s still very, very good. And it looks like in these playoffs They’re almost defensively more defensive than they are, and then you add Steph, Klay, who’s not Klay himself, but he’s more than enough, and then they’ll put (Wiggins) Tatum, Brown, or will they have Draymond (Green) in one of the big two and move Wiggins to the other? But I think that with their ability to create shots the way they do it is …