Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
East No. 2 Celtics (51-31, 12-6) vs. West No. 3 Warriors (53-29, 12-4)
Season series: Tied, 1-1. The Warriors won in Boston 111-107 on Dec. 17. The Celtics rolled on the Warriors’ home floor in the rematch March 16, winning 110-88.
Schedule: Thursday and Sunday in San Francisco,; Wednesday and June 10 in Boston; June 13 in San Francisco, if necessary; June 16 in Boston, if necessary; and June 19 in San Francisco, if necessary.
The starters: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins and Kevon Looney for the Warriors against Marcus Smart, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Al Horford and Robert Williams III for the Celtics. Put simply, it’s the great offense of the Warriors against the great defense of the Celtics. The experience edge goes to the Warriors. But Smart, Brown and Tatum have been building for this moment and are now, officially, a Big 3. Smart — the defensive player of the year — will draw the primary assignment on Curry, the most prolific and probably most creative 3-point shooter in the history of the game.
The bench: Derrick White had a huge Eastern Conference finals for the Celtics, and Jordan Poole has exceeded all reasonable expectations for the Warriors throughout the playoffs. If the Warriors get Gary Payton II back to form in this series after his elbow fracture, that’s a huge plus. Grant Williams would be another X-factor off the bench for the Celtics and will likely log huge minutes anyway because it wouldn’t seem likely that Robert Williams III — dogged by knee recovery — will be on the floor a ton.
Injury watch: Williams III has been on the floor for the Celtics, but limited and limping often. Otto Porter Jr. (left foot) is planning to return in this series for the Warriors. Payton II’s return would give the Warriors a boost, particularly on the defensive end. The Warriors’ Andre Iguodala, who has said he’s retiring after this season, has missed the last 12 games with a cervical disc issue.
Numbers of note: The Celtics have played 100 games so far this season — they went 25-25 in the first 50, 38-12 in the second 50 . ... The Warriors have a league-best 25 wins this season in games where it trailed after the first quarter, with six of those wins coming in the playoffs . ... Warriors coach Steve Kerr has the best postseason winning percentage in NBA history at .736 (89-32). He’s coaching in the NBA Finals for the sixth time, something only Phil Jackson (13 times), Red Auerbach (11), Pat Riley (9), John Kundla (6) and Gregg Popovich (6) have done . ... The Celtics’ magic number this season: 107. The Celtics were 48-9 when holding teams to 107 or less, 15-28 when allowing 108 or more . ... The Warriors’ magic number this season: 115. The Warriors were 61-15 when holding teams to 115 or less, 4-18 when allowing 116 or more . ... Warriors players Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala and Kevon Looney have a combined 1,930 points in the NBA Finals entering this season. Everyone else in this series, including the entire Celtics roster, have combined for zero.
Prediction: The Celtics won four relatively close games to sweep a Nets team with superstars Kyrie Irving and
Kevin Durant in Round 1, won a Game 7 against the defending champion Bucks in the Eastern Conference semifinals, then went on the road to beat the top-seeded and host Heat in a Game 7 for the East title. They are, by any definition, battle tested. The Warriors are trying to pull off a comeback story; they were the best show in basketball from 2015 through 2019, hit the reset button while dealing with injuries and roster revamping, and here they are on the brink of another title. They are proven, and their history — 26 consecutive series with at least one road victory — means that the Celtics will probably have to win twice at Chase Center to pull this off. It won’t be a romp, but Warriors in six.*