The stakes can’t be much higher than they are for the fifth game of the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Golden State Warriors. During the first four games of the series, the two teams have alternated victories with the Celtics winning Games 1 and 3 and the Warriors came out victorious in Games 2 and 4. With the series tied at two wins each, Game 5 is likely there will be a long way to go to determine the final winner. Teams that win the fifth game in a series to the best of seven draws at 2-2 continue to win that series more than 80 percent of the time.
If the Warriors are to be the team to take a 3-2 lead, they will need some guys to get close to Steph Curry, who has been phenomenal throughout the series. Curry’s 43-point performance in Game 4 was a masterpiece, but Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole have to do more if the Warriors want to win their fourth ring under Steve Kerr.
On the other hand, the success of the Celtics could depend on their ability to curb Curry, which they have not achieved so far. Maybe catching him and getting the ball out of his hands is the way to go. It is a strategy that is at least worth trying. In addition, Boston has to take care of the ball. The Celtics are only 1-6 this postseason in games where they spin the ball more than 15 or more times. By contrast, they are 13-2 when they limit their billing to 14 or less.
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Given all that is at stake, Game 5 should be an extremely competitive contest. I lean towards Boston because of his strange ability to always recover from losses. This is how the rest of our experts see it trembling.
How to watch game 5 live
- Game: NBA Finals Game 5
- Date: Monday, June 13 | 21:00 ET
- Location: Chase Center – San Francisco, California
- TV: ABC | Live streaming: fuboTV (get access now)
- Probabilities: BOS +145; GS -170; O / U 212 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Featured game | Golden State Warriors vs. Boston Celtics
Celtics vs. Warriors prediction, game choices 5
Bill Reiter: The Celtics are younger, more athletic, deeper, better on defense and with a remarkable reason for top-notch endurance and basketball since they changed their season in late January. But they don’t have Stephen Curry. And, as we saw in Game 4, they can’t stop him either. Klay Thompson has found his starting point, Kevon Looney has been quietly excellent at the end of those final matches, and there is still time for Draymond Green to have the impact we all expected. But that’s just the noise that serves as background music for Curry being a great player historically and, as Boston did a few nights ago, he won’t let his team lose the fifth game, regardless of his secondary cast. Third: Golden State -3.5 | Warriors 112, Celtics 107
Brad Botkin: I picked Boston to win in seven, but he won’t win Game 5. Curry is too hot and I think Klay, who has had stretches in which he seemed ready to detonate, will be back home. Draymond must be better. I’m betting on that. At this point in the series, I don’t think the adjustments make such a big difference. There are few surprises left. I’m curious how long Boston will continue to go down (though they strive to start higher) to Curry, but if that changes, it could ignite Green as a 4-on-3 game creator, who in turn could fire him defensively. . This is something to look at. Anyway, at least I didn’t go down without explaining myself first. The curry is too much right now. Third: Golden State -3.5 | Warriors 102, Celtics 95
James Herbert: Boston is the choice. This team bounces every time it loses and, more specifically, recovers in attack. I hope it looks more like Game 3 than Game 4, especially when it comes to creating Jayson Tatum games. (If I’m wrong because Steph goes crazy, great!) Choose: Boston +3.5 | Celtics 114, Warriors 103
Michael Kaskey-Blomain: It’s very hard to pick against Steph Curry considering how well he’s played in the series, but his secondary cast has been inconsistent to say the least. Curry can only do so much, especially if Boston modifies his defense to try to force the ball out of Curry’s hands, and it’s hard to trust the guys around him to get the job done right now. In addition, Boston has been stellar after a loss this postseason as it has gone 7-0 in these situations. Jayson Tatum, in particular, has increased his game after the Boston defeats, and is expected to do the same in Game 5. Selection: Boston +3.5 | Celtics 106, Warriors 100
Sam Quinn: We’ve gotten to the point of the series where the two teams meet. We know what the rotations will look like. They have learned the playbooks of others. Not many surprises are left here. Here’s the only thing we know with some emphasis: Golden State can limit Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown … but Boston can’t do anything to stop Stephen Curry. Many other things can cause a game. Maybe a team player makes a lot more shots. Maybe a team gets on the line more often. There are no guarantees in the NBA Finals, but with four games in the books, I’m grabbing the only constant this series has given us: Curry. Third: Golden State -3.5 | Warriors 110, Celtics 101
Colin Ward-Henninger: Normally, at this point in a series of finals, you can start throwing tactics and adjustments out the window, but that’s not necessarily the case here. Steve Kerr continues to play with rotations, and his choice to separate Draymond Green and Kevon Looney proved useful in Game 4. The Warriors’ midfield attack has not been good, even with the exploits of Steph Curry, but Jordan Poole looks like he’s spinning. a corner and they will probably get more from Otto Porter in Game 5. The Celtics have played well on the road and after the losses, but Golden State knows how important it is to win that game by returning to Boston. Give me the warriors. Third: Golden State -3.5 | Golden State 109, Boston 105
Jasmyn Wimbish: Steph Curry was electric in Game 4, but the Warriors needed the best to win. The production that Golden State has come out of guys like Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins has been so inconsistent, and despite being at the Chase Center I still trust the Celtics a little more right now. I go with them to get the victory. Third: Boston +3.5 | Celtics 110, Warriors 105