2022 NBA Finals: Defense Wins Championships
There is a saying in all professional sports: “Defense wins championships.”
We have seen it in past NBA Finals series with some of the greatest teams of all time being dialed in defensively and we will see it again this year, as both the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors are the two best defensive teams in the NBA this season.
During the regular season, the Celtics ranked second in defensive rating and first in opponent’s points per game (104.5), as the Warriors ranked first in defensive rating and third in opponent’s points per game (105.5).
The Celtics and Warriors are both two talented offensive teams as well with multiple All-Stars to turn to for production, but we should be entering this NBA Finals series expecting to see physicality and mental battles defensively, almost like a game of chess at times!
Perhaps this battle will be won by experience though, as the Golden State Warriors have a lot of championship experience over the last several years.
The Celtics… not so much.
No player on Boston’s roster has advanced to the NBA Finals before this season, but the Warriors are not really focused on this, as they know what the Celtics are capable of.
“[They] got some guys playing at a really high level, very well-rounded team, they got the size,” Curry told reporters on Monday. “We like the matchup in terms of confidence going in, knowing we can win, but there’s obvious respect in terms of what they present as a team. [Jayson] Tatum and [Jaylen] Brown are the heads of the snake, Marcus Smart does what he does, you got some vets, Al Horford who has been in the league a long time and in his first Finals appearance so I’m sure they’re motivated just like we are and we’re excited to get things going.”
Heading into this series, the Warriors find themselves in the NBA Finals for the sixth time in the last eight seasons, joining some very elite company that have achieved this feat.
Bill Russell’s Boston Celtics in late 50s, early 60s, Magic Johnson’s Los Angeles Lakers in the 80s and Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls in the 90s are the only other teams in NBA history to make the Finals in at least six out of eight seasons, putting the Golden State Warriors right at the top of the list of the best dynasties in league history.
Experience will absolutely play a big role for the Warriors in this series, but the Boston Celtics are not afraid of anyone and they have shown that in these playoffs.
Boston beat Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets in the first-round, they beat Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals and they are now coming off a seven-game Eastern Conference Finals series against Jimmy Butler and the 1-seeded Miami Heat.
This team led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are more than capable of beating any other team in the league and they know this.
“We’re quick to flip the page and say, ‘We’ve got four more,” head coach Ime Udoka said after the Celtics defeated the Heat. “We don’t hang or celebrate Eastern Conference championships in the Celtics organization … We’re here now trying to finish the deal.
“We played Golden State pretty well this year, obviously beat them pretty bad late in the season, so the story this season, we’ve competed well against the best teams, and obviously you have to do that to make it to this point now.”
In two meetings during the regular season, each team won a game on the other’s home floor. The Warriors took the first game of the season series 111-107 in Boston back in December and then the Celtics returned the favor in the second and final game of the season series 110-88 in March.
Confidence is key when fighting for a championship and Ime Udoka is very confident in his team’s abilities heading into what should be a very entertaining series with the Warriors.
“So, very confident going in,” Udoka said in response to being asked about his team’s chances against Golden State. “I know it’s another tough challenge. I think Miami will help prep us for some of the off-ball actions in the shooters that they had. But we know [the Warriors are] a high-level team, executing team that has a ton of great shooters, great players overall, guys I know well. We’re ready for the challenge.”
Two of the league’s best defensive teams going head-to-head, it will be very interesting to see how the Celtics and Warriors play one another early on in Game 1.
Adjustments will be made throughout the series and each of the star players featured will get a chance to show out on the NBA’s biggest stage, but at the end of the day, defense still wins championships.
Whichever team steps up more on the defensive side of things will be the ones to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy into the air and write the final chapter in the book of the NBA’s 75th anniversary season.
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