Sports Writing (USA), Jun 1 (EFE).- The Golden State Warriors and the Boston Celtics will kick off the NBA Finals this Thursday in San Francisco, in a vibrant duel in which the experience of the Californians, who are fighting for their fourth ring in eight years, collides with the audacity of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart, newcomers on this stage.
In search of their fourth ring in eight years (since 2015 they have only been absent from the 2020 and 2021 Finals), the Warriors will go to their appointment with the Celtics with sky-high confidence after their resounding victory in the West final against Luka Doncic’s Dallas Mavericks (4-1).
After two stormy years of injuries that left them out of the ‘playoffs’, Steve Kerr’s men are now all smiles with a machinery in which all the pieces seem perfectly greased.
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson continue to be a lethal and overwhelming duo, Jordan Poole is already the third member of the “Splash Brothers”, Draymond Green represents the soul of the team and supports the team in defense, Kevon Looney is putting on his boots in the He fights for the rebound and Andrew Wiggins has adapted wonderfully to his role as complement and man for everything.
Unlike the Celtics, the Warriors will arrive with fresh legs and plenty of days to clear their minds.
Golden State played its last game against the Mavericks last Thursday (the Celtics closed their Eastern final on Sunday) and, throughout the ‘playoffs’, they have played 16 games (4-1 to Denver Nuggets, 4-2 to Memphis Grizzlies and 4-1 to Dallas Mavericks).
On the other hand, the Celtics have had to play 18 games and their last two playoffs (Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat) required them to reach the seventh game with what this implies of pressure, nerves and both mental and physical load.
In addition to having home court advantage and having saved the trip for the first two games, the Warriors have a more favorable medical report than their rivals.
With no setbacks in their starting lineup, the San Francisco team is confident they can expand their rotation in the Finals if the injured Otto Porter Jr., Gary Payton II and Andre Iguodala return.
The winning character of Curry, Thompson and Green is unquestionable (the Warriors have the best offensive rating of the ‘playoffs’) but we must not forget the enormous work from the bench of Steve Kerr, who in his career as coach has an impressive balance 21-2 in the ‘playoffs’ since he has only lost two qualifiers: the 2016 and 2019 Finals.
If the leaders of the Warriors are used to these showcases, the Celtics have not reached the Finals since 2010. It will be a first time for Tatum, Brown, Smart or Al Horford, the first Dominican to qualify for the NBA Finals, after a career of fifteen years in the league.
The team of Ime Udoka, debutant coach, has shown to have resources and character to spare to defeat almighty rivals such as the Milwaukee Bucks, the Brooklyn Nets and the Miami Heat.
The eleventh position, with a negative record, in January, gave way to a franchise that interprets its coach’s mentality in an excellent way: effort, sacrifice and defense as the basis to build their successes.
Marcus Smart, who will star in a particular high-voltage duel with Steph Curry, was chosen as the best defender of the season and leads a group in which everyone contributes their grain of sand, such as Horford or Robert Williams, decisive in the paint.
They will be the first finals for Jayson Tatum, the Celtics’ brightest star and the one who was the protagonist of a turning point in the Celtics postseason.
It was in the first game against the Nets, when his buzzer-beater gave his team victory and a tremendous boost of confidence in a series that would end with an authoritative 4-0.
Despite the physical discomfort dragged during the series with the Nets, Bucks and Heat, Udoka can count on his squad that offers him many tactical cards at his disposal to try to curb the offensive power of the Warriors.
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