After a whirlwind of a regular season followed by some huge upsets in the playoffs, the NBA Finals are finally upon us. The Warriors and the Celtics are set to do battle in a best-of-seven series that is sure to be much-see TV. Here, we bring you our predictions and best bets for the series, as well as our tip for Game 1 on Friday morning in the Bay!
Also, be sure to check out our NBA Tips page regularly to find our previews and best bets for each and every game of the Warriors vs Celtics Finals series!
NBA Finals Series Betting Tips
Game 1: Friday 3 June
Celtics @ Warriors, Chase Center, 11am AEST
Game 2: Monday 6 June
Celtics @ Warriors, Chase Center, 10am AEST
Game 3: Thursday 9 June
Warriors at Celtics, TD Garden, 11am AEST
Game 4: Saturday 11 June
Warriors at Celtics, TD Garden, 11am AEST
Game 5: Tuesday 14 June (if required)
Celtics @ Warriors, Chase Center, 11am AEST
Game 6: Friday 17 June (if required)
Celtics @ Warriors, TD Garden, 11am AEST
Game 7: Monday 20 June (if required)
Celtics @ Warriors, Chase Center, 10am AEST
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors avoided a potential #1 vs #2 battle with the Suns in the Western Conference Finals thanks to the Mavericks knocking them out in the second round. The Warriors were able to take full advantage of Luka Doncic and co. who were coming off a physically taxing seven-game series, defeating them in five games to advance to the NBA Finals for the sixth time in the last eight seasons.
The Warriors had to make do against the Mavericks without the trio of Otto Porter Jr. Gary Payton II and Andre Igoudala, but all three are reportedly nearing full health and are close to returning to the court. Steph Curry wasn’t quite at his all-time best in the Western Conference Finals, but he still did enough to be named MVP of the series to add another trophy to his very large cabinet.
Road to the Finals:
R1 – defeated Nuggets 4-1
R2 – defeated Grizzlies 4-2
WCF – defeated Mavericks 4-1
Boston Celtics
The Celtics will be making the most of their days off until the NBA Finals commence after winning each of their last two series in seven games. In the first of them they knocked out the defending champions in the Bucks, while most recently they outlasted the Heat in an absolute rollercoaster of an Eastern Conference Finals series.
Injuries haven’t been a major talking point for the Celtics in the post-season and they’re expected to be at full-strength for Game 1 against the Warriors. DPOY winner Marcus Smart had a few niggles in their series against the Heat, but he should be close to 100% on Friday. Importantly, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are both fit and firing in the playoffs and the former was the recent recipient of the first ever Eastern Conference Finals MVP award.
Road to the Finals:
R1 – defeated Nets 4-0
R2 – defeated Bucks 4-3
ECF – defeated Heat 4-3
Series Prediction
This is set to be one of the most evenly-matched NBA Finals series we’ve seen in recent years between two teams who play vastly different styles. The Warriors are known for their guard play and like to light it up from three with the likes of Curry, Thompson and Poole, while the Celtics are stacked on the wings with Tatum and Brown who will be looking to constantly attack the basket.
The Warriors finished the regular season with a superior record to that of the Celtics and will have homecourt advantage in 4/7 games in the finals, which is why they’ll start as the favourites to lift the Larry O’Brien Trophy. However, the Celtics matchup extremely well against them and have won six of their last seven meetings. Marcus Smart has proven to be capable of locking up Steph Curry over the years and if he’s able to achieve that more often than not over the course of seven games, I can see the Celtics causing an upset here.
Game 1 Prediction
Celtics at Warriors, 11am Friday 3 June, Chase Center
The Warriors have clearly had the easier path to the finals and will be the more rested of the two teams ahead of Game 1. However, the Celtics are battle hardened after a couple of really tough series against the Bucks and the Heat back-to-back, and I think they can bring the momentum from those wins into Friday night’s game and hit the Warriors hard early while they’re still adjusting to the tempo and intensity of such games. The Warriors will have a raucous home crowd on their side trying to will them towards victory, but if the Celtics can start the game well and take the crowd out of it for the most part, then the Celtics are very much capable of stealing a win in the first game of the series.
Boston Celtics +3.5
$1.90
