Knicks Weigh Offseason Options As Warriors and Celtics Battle in NBA Finals: Game 6 Preview
The New York Knicks are eyeing next week's NBA Draft with no shortage of options when it comes to adding to their roster this offseason. The Knicks own the No. 11 pick in the draft and have been tied to a handful of free agency and trade rumors.
Could New York use the 11th selection to add another Duke Blue Devil to join fellow alum RJ Barrett? New York native AJ Griffin has grabbed the attention of the Knicks. Next week, the Knicks will be a must-watch team to see if they make unexpected moves. In the meantime, two other teams have largely surprised with their level of success this season as they jockey to win the 2021-22 NBA title.
The Golden State Warriors have a chance to hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy in Boston if they can walk out of TD Garden victorious over the Boston Celtics in Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night. It would be Golden State's fourth NBA title in eight seasons and seventh in franchise history.
Boston trails 3-2 in the series after a 104-94 loss in Game 5 on Monday night in San Francisco. After looking gassed in the fourth quarter, can Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown find a keep their title dreams alive? A key for Boston is to limit turnovers; the Celtics are 0-6 in the Finals when they commit 16 or more turnovers in a game.
The Celtics were able to limit Stephen Curry in Game 5 to just 16 points on 7-of-22 shooting, including 0-of-9 from three-point range. This ended his streak of 233 consecutive games with a three-pointer. Unfortunately for Boston, the rest of the Warriors elevated their play to snag the pivotal win. Andrew Wiggins led the way with a 26-point, 13-rebound double-double while Klay Thompson put in 21. Gary Payton (15) and Jordan Poole (14) united for 29 off the bench, the latter hitting a buzzer-beating triple at the end of the third quarter that gave Golden State a permanent lead.
FUN FACT: Over the past two games, Andrew Wiggins has 29 rebounds, outpacing Al Horford (17), Robert Williams (20), Jaylen Brown (15), Kevon Looney (15), Draymond Green (17), and Tatum (21).
RECORDS: GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (3-2) VS. BOSTON CELTICS (2-3)
WHEN: Thursday, June 16 at 9 p.m. ET.
LOCATION: TD Garden — Boston, MA
TV/RADIO: ABC/ESPN Radio
ODDS: The Warriors are 3.5-point underdogs to the Celtics.
NEXT: Game 7: Sunday, June 19 at 8 PM ET, ABC (@ Golden State) (If necessary)
LAST WORD: Tatum, after finishing Game 5 with 27 points and ten rebounds:
"We ain't gotta win two in one day. We just gotta win one game on Thursday."
