The 2022 NBA Finals tip-off tonight with the Warriors and the Celtics. My NBA playoff picks this season have gone a mediocre 20-18 so far in the postseason primarily due to my inability to get a handle on the Dallas Mavericks. But we keep moving on and I am looking to finish the season strong heading into the finals.
I continued riding the Colorado Avalanche in the NHL playoffs and they picked up another nice win against the Oilers in game 1 of the conference finals. I may look at taking them again tonight but on at the (-1) spread. With so many high-scoring games for both of these teams of late, the extra goal is less meaningful and it is a good way to improve the odds.
NBA Finals: Warriors (-3.5) Vs Celtics $
The Warriors get home-,court advantage in the finals despite being seeded lower than the Celtics due to a better winning percentage in the regular season. The Warriors won all three of their game ones this year including a road victory in Memphis. Meanwhile, the Celtics dropped the opening games against the Bucks and the Heat. It seems the Celtics tend to start slowly and improve as the series progresses after their defensive adjustments take their toll.
I suspect this trend will continue as no other team in the NBA Finals history requires more adjustments than the Warriors. There is a chance the Celtics get trounced early as they move from an offensively challenged Miami team into a highly complex and dangerous offensive team in the Warriors. I suspect the Celtics will need to win two road games to win this series to hoist the trophy, but I do not like their chances at least in game one.
My one criticism of the Celtics so far this postseason has been their inability to close out a few close games. Both of the last two series have gone to seven games, but I would have like to see them close out each of those in six games or less for them to be considered favourites in the finals. Boston is beaten up from the wars they have survived and a few extra days off before the NBA Finals would have benefited them greatly.
But the biggest reason I like the Warriors in this series is their championship pedigree. It is hard to undervalue the experience Steph, Klay and Draymond bring to the table in these high pressure games. While I do think Jayson Tatum will get his hands on the NBA Finals trophy, it may not be this year.
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