2022 NBA Finals: How to Watch Celtics at Warriors Game 1 on Thursday
Only two teams remain in the 2022 NBA Playoffs, as the stage is set for a clash of giants in the NBA Finals!
The Boston Celtics are on the road in San Francisco to take on the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of the 2022 NBA Finals on Thursday night, a matchup that features two of the league’s most historic and most decorated franchises in the NBA’s 75th anniversary season.
The stars will surely show out in this series, as both teams are led by some of the best talents this league has to offer.
Starting with the “Golden Dynasty,” the Warriors find themselves back in the NBA Finals for the sixth time in the last eight seasons, as they are on a quest to win their fourth title in this span. Their All-Star trio of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are not only healthy, but they have plenty of depth surrounding them once again.
This All-Star trio has turned into an All-Star quartet, as former No. 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins has joined the party in a big way, turning into an extremely valuable two-way presence for Golden State. With Jordan Poole, Kevon Looney, Otto Porter Jr. and so many other contributors as well, the Warriors enter this series as the clear favorites to win.
They may not have any NBA Finals experience on their roster, but on the other side of things, the Celtics are definitely not pushovers!
Led by their All-Star duo in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, Boston’s offensive attack is predicated on getting the ball in the lane and taking high-volume, high-percentage shots. Their offense is not bad, as they ranked seventh in offensive rating during the regular season, but this team’s identity has been built on the defensive-side of things.
The Celtics were able to turn their year around midseason because of their defense and no team has been able to conquer them in a seven game series yet. Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets failed to do so, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks failed to do so and most recently, Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat could not beat this team in the Eastern Conference Finals.
With three very impressive wins in these playoffs, the Celtics have proven that they are a true title contender and as a result, they find themselves just four wins away from winning their 18th championship in franchise history.
A matchup that will surely be a battle both physically and mentally, the 2022 NBA Finals has a chance to be a series for the ages!
Will the Boston Celtics come out strong in Game 1 and send an early message in this series by picking up yet another road win in these playoffs or will the Golden State Warriors keep their perfect home playoff record alive?
The NBA Finals are here and this is everything you need to know as to how to watch Thursday’s game, with gametimes and TV, lineups, bios and other must-know details.
How to watch Celtics vs. Warriors
- WHO: Boston Celtics vs. Golden State Warriors
- WHAT: 2022 NBA Finals - Game 1
- WHEN: 9:00 p.m. ET, Thursday, June 2
- WHERE: Chase Center, San Francisco, California
- TV: ABC
- Stream: Fubo.tv CLICK HERE
Key Stats & Facts For Celtics vs. Warriors
- The Celtics and Warriors faced off twice during the regular season with each team winning on the road.
- The Warriors finished the regular season ranking first in defensive rating and third in points allowed per game (105.5), while the Celtics finished the regular season ranking second in defensive rating and first in opponent’s points per game (104.5).
- Golden State is 40-10 at home this season and Boston is 30-20 on the road, including the postseason.
- The Warriors are 9-0 at home this postseason, the Celtics are 7-2 on the road.
- Jordan Poole, Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry are averaging a combined 64.1 points per game in the playoffs this year.
- This is the Warriors sixth appearance in the NBA Finals in the last eight seasons. They are just the fourth NBA team and twelfth franchise amongst the four major sports (NBA, NHL, NFL, MLB) to play in the championship series/game six times in an eight-year span, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
- Jayson Tatum has recorded 400 points, 100 rebounds, 100 assists and 50 three pointers in these playoffs, becoming the youngest player (24) to record such numbers in a single postseason.
Last Matchup:
March 16, 2022 - Celtics 110, Warriors 88
In their final meeting of the regular season, Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics defeated the Golden State Warriors 110-88. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 52 points in this game, as Marcus Smart stepped up offensively with 20 points on 4-7 shooting from three-point range. The Warriors were held to 37.2% from the floor and 22.9% from three-point range by the Celtics defense. Stephen Curry left the game after just 14 minutes after suffering a foot sprain on a loose ball that both he and Smart collided on.
Celtics-Warriors Most Recent Playoff Series:
- Celtics last playoff series: The Boston Celtics defeated the Miami Heat 4-3 in their Eastern Conference Finals series, winning their second straight Game 7 in a playoff series. Jayson Tatum won the Larry Bird MVP award for the series after averaging 25.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists and after shooting 46.2% from the floor. Boston’s defense was terrific in this series, as they held the Heat to an average of just 99.7 points over the seven games in this series.
- Warriors last playoff series: The Golden State Warriors defeated the Dallas Mavericks 4-1 in their Western Conference Finals series. Stephen Curry won the Magic Johnson MVP award for the series after averaging 23.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, 7.4 assists and after shooting 43.9% from three-point range. The Warriors outrebounded the Mavericks 234-177 in this series and they averaged 29.4 assists per game as a team against Dallas.
Latest Injury News:
Celtics: Robert Williams III (knee) - QUESTIONABLE
Warriors: James Wiseman (knee) - OUT, Andre Iguodala (back/neck) -QUESTIONABLE, Gary Payton II (elbow) - QUESTIONABLE, Otto Porter Jr. (foot) - QUESTIONABLE
Projected Starters:
PROJECTED CELTICS STARTERS:
- G Marcus Smart, 6-3 guard: 12.1 points, 5.9 assists
- G/F Jaylen Brown, 6-6 guard/forward: 23.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists
- F Jayson Tatum, 6-8 forward: 26.9 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.4 assists
- F Al Horford, 6-9 forward: 10.2 points, 7.7 rebounds
- C Robert Williams III (Q), 6-8 center: 10.0 points, 9.6 rebounds
PROJECTED WARRIORS STARTERS:
- G Stephen Curry, 6-2 guard: 25.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 6.3 assists
- G Klay Thompson, 6-6 guard: 20.4 points, 3.9 rebounds
- F Andrew Wiggins, 6-7 forward: 17.2 points, 4.5 rebounds
- F Draymond Green, 6-6 forward: 7.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 7.0 assists
- C Kevon Looney, 6-9 center: 6.0 points, 7.3 rebounds
Betting Odds:
- The Warriors are currently 3.5-point favorites over the Celtics as of Thursday morning, according to Fanduel.com.
- The over/under for this matchup is currently set at 212.5 total points.
What to watch for:
- The Golden State Warriors’ 9-0 home record in the playoffs is the league’s best home playoff record. This nine-game winning streak is tied for the longest for the Warriors in franchise history (2017); the NBA playoff record is 10 tied by many teams.
- The Boston Celtics were one of the best defensive teams in the NBA during the regular season, ranking second in defensive rating and being the only team to have all five starters receive at least one vote for NBA All-Defensive Team honors.
- The Warriors offensive rating of 116.1 in the 2022 NBA playoffs ranks first in the league, as does their 114.5 points per game in the postseason.
- The Celtics defensive rating of 105.1 in the 2022 NBA playoffs ranks second in the league, as does their 101.0 points allowed per game in the postseason.
- Kevon Looney is coming off some career games in the Western Conference Finals, as he averaged 10.6 points, 10.6 rebounds and shot 70.6% in five games against the Mavericks.
- Derrick White emerged as a two-way weapon off-the-bench for the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals, averaging 10.0 points, 3.7 assists, 1.3 steals and shooting 42% from the floor in seven games against the Heat.
- Golden State is 46-10 this season when they score at least 110 points, including the playoffs, and Boston is 52-17 this season when they hold their opponents to 110 points or less.
- The Celtics and Warriors have played a total of 23 playoff games and four playoff series all-time, winning all four meetings. The Celtics are 16-7 against the Warriors in the playoffs, but they have only faced them as the Philadelphia Warriors in 1958, 1960, 1962 and the San Francisco Warriors in 1964.
Related stories on 2022 NBA Finals:
- Who Will Guard Who - Early Look At Potential Matchups In 2022 NBA Finals: The 2022 NBA Finals are set to begin on June 2 and here are some of the matchups we should be getting ready to see between the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors. CLICK HERE.
- What To Expect From Celtics-Warriors 2022 NBA Finals Matchup?: The Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors will begin playing the 2022 NBA Finals on Thursday night in San Francisco and here is what we should expect to see from this championship series. CLICK HERE.
- 2022 NBA Finals - Defense Wins Championships: The 2022 NBA Finals are set as the Boston Celtics will take on the Golden State Warriors in a battle of the league’s top two defenses during the 2021-22 regular season. CLICK HERE.
