Warriors vs Celtics
With four teams left in the 2022 NBA playoffs, there is a much clearer view of what the Finals could potentially look like. This preview highlights a scenario in which the Golden State Warriors defeat the Dallas Mavericks and the Boston Celtics defeat the Miami Heat to advance and meet in the 2022 NBA Finals.
Regular Season Matchups
The Celtics and the Warriors met twice in the 2021-22 regular season, splitting the series at one win a piece. The Warriors' victory came in mid-December and the Celtics' came in mid-March, with the away team getting the win in each game.
December 17, 2021: Golden State Warriors 111, Boston Celtics 107
Fresh off of becoming the leading three-point shooter in NBA history, Stephen Curry poured in 30 points to lead the Warriors to a win on the road in the TD Garden against the shorthanded Celtics, who placed five players into the league's health and safety protocols in the 24 hours prior to the game. Jayson Tatum scored 27 and Jaylen Brown added 20 for the Celtics, but a one-handed scoop shot from Curry in the final minute proved to be the difference in the contest.
March 16, 2022: Boston Celtics 110, Golden State Warriors 88
The main storyline from this game was a foot injury to Stephen Curry that occurred late in the first half on a play where Celtics guard Marcus Smart appeared to dive for a ball and land on the two-time MVP's leg. The injury, a bone bruise and sprained ligament in his left foot, would end up keeping Curry out until the Warriors' first round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets.
Jayson Tatum lead the Celtics with 26 points and 12 rebounds, while Jaylen Brown added 26 points and Marcus Smart wound up with 20 and eight assists. On the other side, Jordan Poole finished the game with 29 points, but it was far from enough as the Warriors dropped their fourth straight game at the Chase Center.
2022 Finals Schedule
While the participating teams and broadcast information for the NBA Finals is yet to be determined, the schedule for the games is as follows:
- Game 1: Thursday, June 2
- Game 2: Sunday, June 5
- Game 3: Wednesday, June 8
- Game 4: Friday, June 10
- Game 5 (if necessary): Monday, June 13
- Game 6 (if necessary): Thursday, June 16
- Game 7 (if necessary): Sunday, June 19
Projections
FiveThirtyEight.com ranked the four remaining teams based off of their chances to make the NBA Finals, as well as their chance to win it.
Chances of making the NBA Finals
- Boston Celtics: 61%
- Golden State Warriors: 62%
- Miami Heat: 39%
- Dallas Mavericks: 38%
Chances of Winning the NBA Finals
- Boston Celtics: 51%
- Miami Heat: 25%
- Golden State Warriors: 15%
- Dallas Mavericks: 9%
Warriors vs Celtics History
According to LandofBasketball.com, the Warriors and Celtics have faced off 346 times in the regular season, with the Celtics leading the all-time series 208-138.
Throughout their history, the two teams have played each other 4 times in the NBA Playoffs, with one series being the 1964 NBA Finals that the Celtics won by a score of 4-1. Overall, the Celtics have an all-time record of 16-7 against the Warriors in the playoffs, winning each of the series that they have played against one another.
In their history, the Celtics have won seventeen NBA Championships, the most recent in 2008. The Warriors have won a total of five NBA Championships, the most recent being in 2018.