I truly believe that the Celtics are capable of sweeping the Warriors, even if the Dubs are at full strength, and there's no other team during Golden State's dynasty that I would ever say that about. But the thing about the Warriors is that virtually every player on the squad is capable of making an impact. So now, Steve Kerr is about to face his biggest test ever, which is figuring out how to beat the one team that you can't just throw the Splash Brothers at and like expect to win. The Celtics are like Splash Bros. kryptonite, and hopefully this series won't have any malicious plays, injuries or funny stuff, so that we can really see who's the best.
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
STARTING 5 MAKEUP
2G-SG-SF-PF-PC (2 guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward, point center)
Right now I'm on ESPN, and they have Jonathan Kuminga (you know, the rookie who wasn't even invited to the Rising Stars game) starting next to Andrew Wiggins, which I'm presuming was the last starting lineup the Warriors used against the Mavs. And speaking of Dallas, that's not really the type of team you'd want to play in preparation for the Finals. The Celtics are definitely more battle-tested, as Kobe would say, than the Dubs.
BIGGEST STRENGTH
The Warriors are young and deep, and they're likely going to need that if Marcus Smart and them are able to take the Splash Bros. out of their comfort zone, which they seem to be experts at.
BIGGEST WEAKNESS
In this particular case, it's the fact that they're facing the Celtics. Sometimes it's like that. You're considered the best because you can get beat 99% of the contenders. But there's always that one challenger who, for some inexplicable reason, that you just can't master. It's like some Mike Tyson vs. Buster Douglas type shit, like the Celtics simply aren't intimidated by the Dubs.
X-FACTOR
Sometimes I make fun of Steve Kerr because he looks like Neil Patrick Harris, and I'm always critical of the success of head coaches who are instantly handed a superteam upon entering the NBA. But if Kerr is able to pull this one off, then he's fully earned my respect as a coach.
KARMA ASSESSMENT
I haven't really been following the Playoffs for the last couple of weeks. But I know that the Warriors have some of the best camaraderie in the league. I just hope they don't get mixed up in no tit-for-tat shit with the Celtics, like they did with the Grizzlies.
BOSTON CELTICS
To reiterate, I haven't seen the Celtics play much recently. I did watch them hand it to the Nets but thought they'd get bested by the Bucks, and was really surprised, if you want to call it that, when they got past the Heat.
STARTING 5 MAKEUP
PG-SG-F-PC-C (point guard, shooting guard, forward, point center, center)
The Celtics have more of a traditional starting lineup, which is useful for teams like this who actually know how to defend.
BIGGEST STRENGTH
After Steph + Klay + Draymond, I think Smart + Brown + Tatum are the longest-tenured core in the NBA. And you know, that kinda shit matters. Everybody's always talking about the Warriors' chemistry, but the Celtics also know each other pretty well, which helps a lot when you have chucks on your team like Jayson Tatum. And then on top of that, they're younger than GSW's core.
BIGGEST WEAKNESS
I know that players like Payton Pritchard and Grant Williams have had thier moments during the 2022 Playoffs, but woe to the Celtics if one of their stars get injured, and they have to rely too much on the bench. That's the one advantage the Warriors definitely have over them besides championship experience, which is quality depth.
X-FACTOR
It'd be easy for me to be Al Horford here, a player who like I can't say enough positive things about. But I think Robert Williams is the X-factor. Why? Because he anchors the defense, and I know they kinda rushed him back early from injury to play against the Nets. And you can see that his playoff stats aren't nearly as good as he performed during the regular season. And if I remember correctly, he played a major role in the Celtics winning the last time they squared off against Golden State.
KARMA ASSESSMENT
I believe the Celtics really want to win, even more than the Warriors, whose core already has three championships. And that mutual desire, in addition to them surprisingly having made it this far, should be enough to at temporarily squash internal beefs, if any.
CONCLUSION
I watched that play where Marcus Smart injured Steph from like four different angles, and you know, I can't say it was intentional. But I really hope nothing like that happens during this series. This is the Finals matchup I've been wanting to see for some years now. And as frustrating as chasing around Steph and them may be, the Celtics can win without doing anything dirty.
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