The National Basketball Association (NBA) has arrived at its final four, and the Conference Finals to determine the eastern and western conference representatives kicked off earlier this week with all the intensity one would expect.

The No 1 and 2 seeded Miami Heat and Boston Celtics are into the Eastern Conference Finals, while the Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks (seeded No 3 and 4, respectively) have emerged in the Western Conference Finals following their hurdling of the No 2 seeded Memphis Grizzlies and No 1 seeded Phoenix Suns, respectively.

In the east, Miami made fairly quick work of the Philadelphia 76ers, closing the series in six games, while the Celtics were pushed to seven games against the defending champions Milwaukee Bucks.

The Celtics prevailed after a very physical round, taking game 7 (109-81), limiting Giannis Antetokounmpo to only 25 points. Giannis averaged 33.9 points, 14.7 rebounds, and 7.1 assists for the series but, despite his best effort, the Celtics moved on to meet the Heat. It is little consolation that the two-time Most Valuable Player is the first to achieve 200 points, 100 rebounds, and 50 assists in a single play-off series, but he is sure to return next season with renewed zest.

Miami is 51-78 all-time against Boston, and the Celtics won the regular season series 2-1, but this is the fifth time that Miami and Boston will meet in the post-season, and the third time in the Conference finals. Previously, Boston won a first-round series, 4-1, in 2010; Miami won a second-round series, 4-1, in 2011; Miami won the 2012 Conference Finals in seven games; and in 2020, Miami won another Conference Finals in six games. The Eastern Conference Finals promises to be a hard-fought battle and should not be missed.

In the west, Stephen Curry and the Warriors advanced to the Conference Finals last Friday night (May 13) as they bettered the Grizzlies following a game 6 victory (110-96). The Warriors have now redeemed themselves after being eliminated by the Grizzlies in last year’s play-in game and are now faced with the daunting task of rumbling with Luka Doncic and the Mavericks in the Conference Finals.

Klay Thompson led all scorers in game 6 with 30 points, with a 29-point contribution from Curry. Andrew Wiggins was terrific with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks, plus Draymond Green had a near triple-double with 14 points, 16 rebounds, and eight assists, while unsung hero Kevon Looney had an incredible 22 rebounds (11 on offence and 11 on defence) in 35 minutes played. As a whole, the Warriors outrebounded the Grizzlies a whopping 70-44.

The JustBet favourite Warriors are up against an inspired Dallas team (who, incidentally, are the current longshots) and if they have ambitions to be playing in the final series starting June 2, 2022, they will have to take better care of the ball. The Warriors had 16 turnovers in game 4, 22 in game 5, and 17 in game 6 against the Ja Morant-less Grizzlies and this ‘bad habit’ must be limited to mitigate a proverbial turning of the tables.

Speaking of the Mavericks, they pulled off the ultimate upset by eclipsing the Suns in a stunning game 7 last Sunday (May 15). The Suns were nothing short of stupendous the whole regular season. After falling short of winning the title last time round, they rebounded like a team possessed this year and seemed destined to go the distance, finishing with a league-leading (and franchise record) 64-18 – eight wins above second-placed Memphis.

The Suns humbled every team in both conferences in the regular season, but they crashed in the moment of truth. It was not that they lost, but the manner in which. Doncic and his Mavericks completely thrashed Phoenix on their home court 123-90, the first away win in the series. The 23-year-old Doncic scored a game-high 35 points in the 33-point win, adding 10 rebounds and four assists to push Dallas to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2011.

Doncic was on a mission from the first jump as he lit up Phoenix for 12 points in the opening quarter (plus eight rebounds and three assists) and seized a 27-17 lead in the first frame. The most astonishing statistic is that Doncic’s 27 first-half points matched the Suns’ total first-half output, leading to the most massive halftime lead in game 7 history (57-27).

The Phoenix star trio of Devin Booker, Chris Paul, and Deandre Ayton combined to score on only 1-for-15 shooting (six total points) over the entire first half. They individually ended the game with 11, 10, and five points, respectively. By the time Paul connected on his first field goal, it was the third quarter, and his team was down 40 – a lead that ballooned up to 46 – and the steady hand he provided throughout the season was replaced with indecision and panic.

Phoenix became just the third team in NBA history to win 64 games or more during the regular season and not advance to the Conference Finals, joining the 2006/07 Mavericks and 2015/16 San Antonio Spurs in this regard. The outcome of game 7 also marked the fourth time in franchise history the Suns blew a 2-0 series lead, and the fifth such occurrence in Chris Paul’s career – including the finals last year against the Bucks.

The ultimate champions will need eight more wins to hoist the trophy, but the immediate hurdle is these first four victories in the Conference Finals where it’s all or nothing – that’s game.

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2021/22 NBA Champion

TeamOdds

Golden State Warriors2.20

Miami Heat3.60

Boston Celtics3.85

Dallas Mavericks6.75

*Odds are subject to change