The finals of the 2021/22 National Basketball Association (NBA) season began last week Thursday (June 2) with the Golden State Warriors hosting the Boston Celtics following their conference finals victories over the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat, respectively.

While the Warriors made relatively easy work of their conference finals opponent in five games, the Celtics were made to go the distance, finishing the series at the FTX Arena, home of the Heat.

So it was Golden State, with a combined finals experience of 123 games, against Boston, with no one who has ever played at this stage of the season, and whose last finals appearance was in 2010 (when they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games) — the NBA’s top-rated offence (Warriors), up against the NBA’s top-rated defence (Celtics).

The run to the last four wins started fairly evenly, with Boston enjoying a slim, two-point edge at half-time (56-54), but that was soon eclipsed by one of Golden State’s patented third quarters. But, leading up to that, for the first 12 minutes of Game 1, Stephen Curry looked like his old video-game self as he drained six-consecutive three-pointers in a momentous first quarter. The Celtics were also way too soft on drop-off coverage against Curry at the start of the game and paid the price, allowing a 34-point night for Bay Area talisman.

Curry took the first-quarter advantage, but thereafter, Boston made the requisite adjustments and held him to just one three-pointer over the final three quarters of the game. Despite the aforementioned third quarter, where the Celtics were outscored 38-24 and the Warriors had the game in their grasp (92-80) heading into the fourth, the Boston defence decided to show up and show off.

Curry, who exploded for 30 points in the first three quarters, was limited to four points on two-of-six shooting in the final period, as Boston blanketed Golden State 40-16 in the final frame to finish off a 120-108 win, with both teams combining for 40 3-pointers, an NBA Finals record. In the fourth quarter alone, the Celtics shot a jaw-dropping nine-for-12 from three-point range to fuel their comeback victory.

The win on the road was even more impressive considering Celtics’ superstar Jayson Tatum finished with just 12 points, but the stunning Warriors collapse was fuelled with massive contributions from Al Horford (team-high 26 points) and Derrick White (21 points). Horford set a career-high with six made three-pointers, the most ever for a player in his finals debut, and White had 21 points in 32 minutes off the bench.

The Warriors entered Game 2 last Sunday (June 5) knowing that if they were to trail 0-2 when the series goes to Boston, they would be in dire straits with their backs firmly against the wall. They needed to limit the damage from Tatum, Horford and Jaylen Brown, while nullifying the impact of the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year, Marcus Smart, to draw level in the series.

Coming off his game-leading outing in Game 1, Curry once again showcased his devastating combination of long-range marksmanship and constant motion, tallying 29 total points, but more than that, he was like gravity and as many as five Boston players were frequently pulled to his ‘earth’, leaving the talents of Jordan Poole, Kevon Looney, Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins open to finish plays.

Like Game 1, the game was extremely close through the first 24 minutes (52-50) — with the Warriors leading — but in their usual tradition of the last eight seasons, the Warriors staged their most spirited rally in the third quarter, outscoring the Celtics 35-14 for their best point differential in any finals quarter in franchise history. The Celtics shot just four-for-17 and committed more turnovers (5) than successful field goals in the third quarter, while finishing with 18 total turnovers for the game leading to 33 points for the Warriors.

Golden State enjoyed the return of one of their most capable defensive players, Gary Payton II, who fractured his elbow in the conference semi-finals, and his prowess bolstered the Golden State defensive effort, while on offence, he scored seven points without missing any attempt from the field.

Unlike the escapades of the finals opener, Golden State didn’t squander their lead on Sunday, but Klay Thompson again struggled for the second-consecutive game from the field, and the Warriors can ill-afford to have this become a habit. With the series poised as it is, the other half of the Splash Brothers will be needed to bring the Larry O’Brien Trophy to San Francisco.

With just over 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and the Celtics trailing by 29 points, Boston’s coach Ime Udoka emptied his bench and surrendered any thought of the prolific spurt that occurred a few days earlier. Tatum led Boston with 28 points (21 in the first half), but his effort wasn’t enough as only two other Celtics players scored in double figures — Jaylen Brown (17) and Derrick White (12) — while Horford and Smart were limited to two points each, after combining for 44 points in Game 1.

After two games against each another, the Warriors and Celtics should have a fairly good idea of what they are both up against. What the Warriors did in Game 2 of on Sunday night was the best definition of “response” and they accomplished exactly what was needed. However, they need to have another primary scoring option if ambitions are to be realised — Thompson or Poole are the best bet for this.

Boston will have to find a way to overcome their third-quarter failures as they have two of the worst third quarters in this year’s play-offs: Game 1 against Miami in the Eastern Conference Finals, when the Celtics were outscored by 25; and Golden State’s 21-point advantage on Sunday. They have been outscored by at least 14 points four times in the third quarter in these play-offs — all of which have come on the road and their one win in that situation was Game 1 of the current series.

The finals have been intriguing to date and the thrills are far from over. It’s explosive offence versus stifling defense, and the viewers have the best seat in the house. The Celtics won 28 of their last 35 regular season games to climb from 11th to second in the East, but battled through a couple of seven-game play-off series to get to this point, and their reward is a clash against the best scoring machine in the league — no wonder there is a very narrow separation in the JustBet odds for the Finals winner.

JustBet continues to offer attractive betting options on all popular sports and events (including virtual games) as soon as they become available. Please visit one of the over 100 locations (or visit mobile.justbetja.com) for details and place your bets on the prediction of your choice for maximum winnings…… Get in the GAME!

2021/22 NBA Champion

Team Odds

Golden State Warriors 1.80

Boston Celtics 1.86

*Odds are subject to change