After six weeks of intense playoff action, the 2022 NBA Finals game is finally set and two of the league’s oldest franchises will compete for the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
The Golden State Warriors will host the Boston Celtics on Thursday in the first game of the final at the Chase Center in San Francisco, and there are significant bets on both sides. Stephen Curry and company are looking for their fourth title since 2015, and Jayson Tatum is looking for his 18th Celtics championship, surpassing one of the Los Angeles Lakers for the NBA record.
While the Warriors, then in Philadelphia, and the Celtics joined the Basketball Association of America (which later merged with the National Basketball League to become the NBA) in 1946, They have faced the finals since 1964. This year, Hall of Fame center Bill Russell led the Celtics to the San Francisco Warriors of rival Wilt Chamberlain in five games.
Persistence has paid off for the Warriors and Celtics. Two years ago, Golden State broke the worst NBA record following the departure of Kevin Durant from free agency and the long-term injuries of Curry and Klay Thompson. The Warriors recovered by crossing west with a 12-4 postseason streak, eliminating the Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies and Dallas Mavericks.
Boston has reached its first finals since 2010 after reaching the Eastern Conference finals in four of the last six years. To get there, the Celtics defeated the Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat 12-6.
Golden State enters the playoffs with the highest-ranked playoff attack, and Boston boasted the NBA’s No. 1 defense in the regular season.
The finals also include a head-to-head clash between Steve Kerr of Golden State and Ime Udoka of Boston, both Greg Popovich’s assistants for the USA Basketball Gold Medal-winning team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.