(CNN Philippines) — The 2022 NBA Finals stage is set: the Eastern Conference’s second seed Boston Celtics will face the Western Conference’s third seed Golden State Warriors in a best-of-seven championship affair.
The Warriors are seeking to win their fourth NBA title in eight years and seventh overall. Winning this year’s crown would let them get ahead of the Chicago Bulls for third spot all-time, behind the Los Angeles Lakers and Celtics with 17 apiece.
Boston, meanwhile, is aiming to be the winningest team in the league in terms of number of championships.
This is the first time in 58 years that Golden State and Celtics meet in the finals. The 1964 championship series between Boston and the San Francisco Warriors was won by the Celtics in five games.
The Warriors defeated Boston on the road by four points in their first meeting this season. Then, the Celtics bounced back by demolishing Golden State by 22 points to split their regular season series.
Here are some interesting points in the matchup:
Will Steph Curry finally emerge as the best player in the Finals?
There’s no doubt he’s one of the greatest to ever play the game — a three-time champion, two- time Most Valuable Player (MVP), eight-time All-Star, four-time All-NBA First Team, two-time scoring champion, and member of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.
One elusive recognition is the Finals MVP. Is he up for it this time? Winning the Finals MVP will spark new debates over Curry’s place among the greatest players in NBA history.
Defense or offense wins championships?
The Warriors and Celtics are the two best defensive teams this season. Boston posted a 106.2 defensive rating while Golden State achieved 106.6 in the regular season.
Reigning Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart will have the unenviable task of stopping the Warriors’ primary offensive weapon Steph Curry, who is averaging 25.9 points on 38 percent shooting from the outside, 6.2 assists and 4.9 rebounds in this year’s postseason.
It will be interesting to see who will be assigned to contain Boston’s main guy Jayson Tatum (27 points on 44.6 percent shooting, 6.7 rebounds, and 5.9 assists in the playoffs). Athletic forward Andrew Wiggins and former Defensive Player of the Year Draymond Green are likely the first two options to check the Celtics’ focal point in scoring.
Entering the championship series, Golden State averaged 114.5 points on 49.3 percent field goal shooting in 16 playoff matches, while the Celtics logged in 101.7 points on 45.4 percent field goal shooting in 18 postseason games. These numbers, however, will dip throughout the championship round as defensive schemes will be tightened. Just like in the previous finals, fans can expect lower scoring as the series progresses.
Sideline battle: vet vs. rook?
Coaching is one of the biggest factors in any championship series. This year’s edition will feature a mentor who has already won multiple titles and a newbie tactician looking to prove his worth.
Steve Kerr has the chance to become only the sixth coach in league history to win four or more NBA championships, where he can join a revered pool comprising of Phil Jackson (11), Red Auerbach (9), John Kundla (5), Gregg Popovich (5), and Pat Riley (5).
On the other hand, Ime Udoka is on track to be the fourth person in the last eight years to win a title as a rookie head coach, after Kerr (2014-15), Tyronn Lue (2015-16), and Nick Nurse (2018-19).
The two have something in common. Both were mentored by San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, a five-time champion and the winningest coach in league history.
Both played multiple seasons for the Spurs under Popovich at different times, and were assistant coaches under him with the USA Basketball men’s national team (Kerr now succeeding as head coach). Udoka also served as an assistant coach to Popovich in San Antonio.
Game 1 is scheduled on June 3 at 9 a.m. (Philippine time).
