The NBA Finals is set and it looks to be an epic matchup as the Boston Celtics will face off against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday, June 2nd. Many storylines can be made to headline this series for both teams. Starting with the Warriors, some were convinced that their dynasty was over due to several factors with the most significant being the injuries to Klay Thompson. To start the season, they immediately looked liked a contender, beginning with a 27-7 Curry looking like an early MVP candidate. Though they would soon have the much anticipated return of Klay Thompson they never were able to play with complete roster for most of the year. This Warriors team overcame a lot of odds to get where they are as the nucleus of the Warriors dynasty in Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green barely played together this season due to various injuries. Regardless, they were able to look as dominant as ever come playoff time with Thompson back to playing like one of the top two-way players in the league. With the Warriors big 3 finally healthy at the right time, this Warriors run to the finals has arguably been their most impressive yet.
What makes the unexpected finals run of this Boston Celtics team so impressive is the adversity they dealt with making their way through a eastern conference that looked as competitive as ever. To start the season, they were not even among the favorites to come out the east as teams like the Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks were all favored over them. Early in the season, the doubts of the Boston Celtics seemed valid as 48 games into the season they had a .500 record at 24-24. At one point, some fans and analysts were considering the possibility that the Tatum-Brown duo needed to be split up. Either in response to the outside noise or a new found game plan sparked a 27-7 run to close the season with a 51-31 record.
In the playoffs, the Celtics defeated two of the teams that were favored over them in the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks. They would once again return to the Eastern Conference finals and take down the #1 seeded Miami Heat in 7 games to make their first trip to finals since 2010. Through this improbable playoff run, the Celtics played championship level defense and their best player in Jayson Tatum has evolved into an NBA superstar.
The most intriguing part of this series has to be the individual player matchups as their are a few in particular that I feel could make all the difference. Specifically, the matchup between the defensive player of the year Marcus Smart and future Hall of Famer Steph Curry. In Smart's career, he has had been far more effective guarding Curry than anyone else in the league. I do not expect Curry to shoot as poorly as he has previously against Smart but his defensive impact will certainly be key for the Celtics. Also, if Curry is able to put up a great performance against Smart that could easily tilt the series in the Warriors favor.
Another key matchup that should not go underrated are the key role players for both teams that could make a huge impact in this series. Namely, Jordan Poole and Jonathan Kuminga for the Warriors as well as Grant Williams and Derrick White for the Celtics. Poole in particular has looked like an all star in these playoffs while Williams and White have shown an ability to step up in big moments. Despite being just 19 years old, I expect Kuminga to be a solid part of the rotation and is a young player with a lot of potential. These players will be needed to step up and potentially steal a game if their stars don't play well.
I expect this series to be very competitive as these are two of the best defensive teams in the league and both have two of the most talented superstar duos in the game today. That is what makes the decision of who ultimately will win so difficult, still I am predicting the Warriors to win in 7. I feel that the championship experience of the Warriors will make a huge difference. I also expect Klay to have a great series as this has been an emotional run back to the finals for him in particular. His return has helped the Warriors get right back to looking like their dynastic teams of the 2010's. This Finals run could end up as a legacy defining moment for the Warriors dynasty as well as their greatest player in the franchise's history in Steph Curry as he seeks his 4th championship.
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