An incredible NBA season has reached it's climax as the Western Conference champions Golden State Warriors will take on the Eastern Conference champions Boston Celtics in the NBA Championship finals in a best-of-seven series through June.
The Warriors will travel to Boston for Game 1 of the series in what is sure to be an exciting one, as they look to claim their first title since they went back to back in 2017 and 2018, in the midst of making five finals in a row. This is their first finals since 2019, where they lost to Toronto Raptors.
For Boston, they will be looking to take the lead in the all-time table for championship wins by moving to 18 by securing their first title since 2008. They are currently tied with the LA Lakers on 17 titles.
We'll look ahead to Game 1 and break it down, before providing you with our best free betting picks for what is set to be an explosive start to the final series of the season.
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Game 1 information
- Thursday June 2nd, 2022
- 21:00 ET
- Chase Centre, Boston
- Live on ABC
Route to the NBA Championship finals
Golden State entered the playoffs as the number three seed in the Western conference, with a regular season record of 53-29 with much thanks going to their star man Steph Curry.
Their playoff run has been pretty straightforward too, never reaching a game seven in any of the three series' and losing just four games in the process. Firstly they smashed through the Denver Nuggets with a 4-1 series win as regular season MVP winner Nikola Jokic was totally nullified throughout.
Then they faced a stern test against Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies but ultimately it was their experience that came out on top as they secured a 4-2 series win when Morant was out injured. They showed character to come back form a battering in Game 5 too, and maintained their 100% home record throughout the playoffs with a Game 6 win in the Chase Centre.
The Western Conference finals proved to be somewhat of a breeze for them too, as they blitzed past Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks with a 4-1 series win that was very nearly a sweep. Still unbeaten at home, Curry top scored in every game for the Warriors as they became conference champions for the sixth time in eight seasons.
Boston had a tougher route to get to this stage of the season, but they showed great character and ability to get here. They entered the playoffs as the number two seed in the Eastern conference, with a regular-season record of 51-31.
That saw them matched up in the first round of the playoffs against the Brooklyn Nets in a game many predicted would be tough to navigate. But the brilliance of star man Jayson Tatum and his supporting cast saw them sweep Kevin Durant and co and claim a comfortable 4-0 series win.
Next up was a clash with defending champions Milwaukee Bucks and superstar Giannis Antentokounmpo. In a back and forth series they found themselves in a must-win situation in Game 6 as they trailed 3-2 and had to travel to the Fiserv Forum, but Tatum scored a series-high 46 points to claim the clutch win before they were able to secure a dominant Game 7 victory to progress to the final.
There they met with number one seeds Miami Heat and a game Jimmy Butler. In yet another back and forth series, they found themselves tied at 3-3 after six games having led 3-2, but went to the FTX Arena and pulled off a tight win once more to set up this clash with the Warriors.
Golden State vs Boston NBA Betting Trends
So far this season, Golden State have gone 52-47-3 against the spread and when playing as at least -3.5 point favorites they are 34-31-2. Alternatively, Boston are 57-42-3 against the spread this season and when they have been at least -3.5 point underdogs they have gone 9-3.
With the Overset at 211 points for this game, there is plenty of chance that they hit it. Golden State have seen 64 of their 103 games this season hit the mark over the course of the regular season and playoffs, while the Celtics have managed it on 62 of 104 occasions.
Compared to their averages this season, the over/under for the game is currently set at 12.3 points fewer. During their two meetings earlier this season the teams combined for 198 and 218 points respectively, showing that it's definitely capable of landing once more.
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NBA Finals Prediction
This will be an excellent NBA Championship final and one that will live long in the memory of fans all over the world.
Both teams have got individual star quality, but their results come from a great work ethic within the team and a great unit in which they all trust each other to maximize the potential of the team. On this occasion though, it's hard to look past the Warriors.
Curry is on fire, and with Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins firing as well as Jordan Poole and Draymond Green all part of the supporting cast as well as the way they've been able to start fast in games on the road during the playoffs, I expect them to do it again and take Game 1 after their extended rest period too.
