NBA Finals: Warriors vs Celtics - Everything you need to know
And then there were two - but there can only be one champion. The Warriors and Celtics face off in the NBA final for the first time since 1964 on Thursday.
The Golden State Warriors didn’t have too difficult a time making it to the NBA final this year. They beat the Denver Nuggets 4-1 in round 1, beat the Grizzlies 4-2 in the conference semifinals, and beat the Dallas Mavericks 4-1 in the conference finals. The Celtics had a tougher go. After shutting out the Brooklyn Nets in round 1, they went head-to-head with the Milwaukee Bucks in the conference semifinals, winning 4-3, then in the conference finals, they were forced to play a Game 7 again, eventually beating the Miami Heat 4-3.
Follow the action between the Celtics and the Warriors
After struggling the last few years with injuries, the Warriors bounced back quite quick to get into the championship game again in 2022. The Celtics are no strangers to the big stage either, as they’re tied with the Lakers for the most titles and will look to carry on the legacy. The two teams will face each other for the championship title for Game 1 this Thursday, June 2 at 9 pm.m ET in San Francisco. Here’s everything you need to know about the teams and their history.
- The Warriors are seeking their 4th title since 2015. This is their 12th appearance in the finals. The trio of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green are heading to the finals for the sixth time in eight years.
- The Celtics are looking for their 18th championship (in 22 appearances), which would put them ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers for the NBA record most championships. Their most recent title was in 2008.
- The last time these two teams met in the finals was in 1964, when Bill Russell led the Celtics past Wilt Chamberlain and the Warriors in five games.
- The Warriors have the No. 1-ranked offense in the playoffs and the Celtics had the No. 1-ranked defense in the regular season.
- In the regular season, the Warriors won in Boston and the Celtics won in San Francisco. Steph Curry was injured early on in their loss in San Francisco on a “dangerous” play by Celtics’ Marcus Smart.
- The Warriors are undefeated at home, and have home-court advantage in the series, but the Celtics have won seven times on the road this playoff season, including their last Game 7 in Miami.
- It’s not just the stars Curry, Thompson, and Green that the Warriors can count on - guard Jordan Poole and forward Andrew Wiggins have played huge contributing minutes in the playoffs. Poole is third in scoring for the Warriors, behind Curry and Thompson. Wiggins has been the main defensive stopper. In the series against the Dallas Mavericks, Wiggins held Luka Doncic (a player nearly impossible to stop) to just 47.9% of his field goal attempts and 14 turnovers.
- Expect the return of Gary Payton II (elbow injury), Andre Iguodala (disk neck injury), and Otto Porter Jr. (foot injury) to add to the Warriors lineup.
- The Warriors had three more days of rest than the Celtics, which can be an advantage, or not. In 2015, the Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers both had the same amount of rest and the Warriors won their first title. In 2017, the Warriors had just two days of rest before playing the Cleveland Cavaliers. They led them 3-1, but LeBron James and company came back to win the title in the end. In 2018, the Warriors had one extra day of rest over the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Warriors swept them. The next year, however, the Warriors lost to the Toronto Raptors after coming off 9 days of rest. (Granted, they also lost Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson to injury.) This time, the Warriors have 7 days of rest to the Celtics’ 4.
NBA Finals schedule
All times listed in Eastern
Game 1: June 2 at Golden State, 9 p.m.
Game 2: June 5 at Golden State, 8 p.m.
Game 3: June 8 at Boston, 9 p.m.
Game 4: June 10 at Boston, 9 p.m.
Game 5: June 13 at Golden State, 9 p.m. (if necessary)
Game 6: June 16 at Boston, 9 p.m. (if necessary)
Game 7: June 19 at Golden State, 8 p.m. (if necessary)