NBA Finals Preview

On the biggest stage in the NBA, the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics will face off for their first game of the 2022 NBA Finals, on June 1st and at most, end on June 19th. Representing the west, The Warriors, are led by Veteran 2-time MVP Stephen Curry and are looking to win their fourth title since 2015. Representing the east, The Celtics, are led by young superstar Jayson Tatum and are looking to prove themselves as a dynasty in the making. This is the Warriors’ first time in the Finals since 2019, a series they lost following several serious injuries to key players, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and DeMarcus Cousins. Following their loss to the Raptors, the Dubs began a pseudo-rebuilding phase. Curry was out for almost the entirety of the 2019-20 season, Klay Thompson was out two straight seasons due to an ACL tear in the 2019 FInals, and Kevin Durant left for the Brooklyn Nets. In that rebuilding era, The Warriors acquired former Number 1 Draft Pick Andrew Wiggins from the Timberwolves, developed him into an all-star, selected Jordan Poole, James Wiseman, and Jonathon Kuminga in the 2019, 2020, and 2021 Draft respectively, and also signed journeymen Juan Toscano-Anderson and Gary Payton II. The Warriors missed the 2021 Playoffs by a hair, losing to the Lakers and Grizzlies in the Play-in Tournament. This was the Warrior’s first playoffs appearance since 2019, and they made the third seed in the west, with a 53-29 season. On their path to the finals, they defeated the Nuggets, Grizzlies, and Mavericks respectively. On Boston’s side, they have been frequent flyers in the Eastern Conference Finals for the past few years, however, this will be their first trip to the finals since 2010. They have retained the same core, for the most part, since their 7-game loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals, minus the losses of Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving. Tatum and Brown have become All-Stars and All-NBA caliber players, and Marcus Smart just became the first guard since Gary Payton in 1996 to win Defensive Player of the Year. Coming back to this year’s finals, the starting lineups are in, and here’s what they look like. For the Warriors, Klay Thompson, Stephen Curry, Jonathan Kuminga, Draymond Green, and Andrew Wiggins. This lineup is very different from the last time the Warriors were in the finals. Moving on from someone like Durant to Andrew Wiggins is a big step down but it eventually proved to have worked over time. For the Celtics, their starting lineup looks like this, Al Horford, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Robert Williams III, and Marcus Smart. Their Star Small Forward Jayson Tatum has developed so much as a young star and is looking to be one of the players who will take over the league. He has progressed in his game so much since the Celtics were last this close to the finals in 2018. Not only by making his own game better but by improving everyone around him as well. This matchup includes two great teams and I think it’s going to come down to a game 6 but my bet is on the Warriors. This is going to be a fun series to watch and I wish both teams the best of luck.