The 2021-2022 playoffs have come to the Finals, with the Western Golden State Warriors playing against the Eastern Boston Celtics, one of the best teams in the 21st century in the West, and the Boston Celtics being one of the oldest traditional teams in NBA history. Both teams have the league's best scorers, and both teams are offensively capable and defensively excellent, but as the Finals approach, it's time to dig deeper into who can win the 2022 NBA championship with the Warriors and Celtics. Therefore, the US media will be the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics Golden State for a comprehensive comparison, in the end who can beat each other to win the championship, let's take a look.
The Warriors' strongest five started against the Celtics' strongest five
Warriors starting lineup: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Wiggins, Draymond Green, Kevin Rooney
Celtics starting lineup: Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Jason Tatum, Horford, Robert Williams
The Golden State Warriors' starting lineup has been great, mainly because the strongest trio in their roster is the trio that the team has won three NBA championships in the last five Finals, and they are now eager to win their fourth NBA championship together. On the Boston side, Marcus Smart proved to be one of the NBA's most underrated players and proved to be the defensive player of the year. Jaylen Brown and Jason Tatum are unstoppable when it comes to attacking.
Point guard Stephen Curry vs. Marcus Smart, the league's best three-point shooter against the league's defensive player of the year this season. Obviously, this is a huge challenge for Stephen Curry, and whether the injury-plagued Smart can limit Stephen Curry in the Finals is one of the key factors for the team to win.
Shooting guard Klay Thompson vs. Jaylen Brown, Klay Thompson showed his excellent competitive form in the first few rounds of the playoffs, on the offensive confrontation, in fact, almost the same, the focus is on who can do better on the defensive end, who can really limit the opponent.
Small forward Wiggins vs. Jason Tatum, both of whom are among the league's best young players at the moment. Wiggins' talent was appreciated in the playoffs this season, but Jason Tatum's stress-resistant and critical abilities were also good. In fact, both on offense and defense are similar.
Big forward Draymond Green vs. Horford, Draymond Green is a defensive and organized offense player, he is the engine of the Warriors. We can also see that in the playoffs this season, Draymond Green's offensive efficiency in terms of three-pointers is still good. Horford wants to beat Draymond Green, to use its interior offensive advantage to constantly create fouls, and only by letting the Warriors' inner line be plagued by fouls can the team get more advantages.
Center Kevin Rooney vs. Robert Williams, apparently it was a showdown between young centre-forwards. They are all young centers with good speed bounce explosiveness, and the key to the decisive victory between them is whether their teammates can use their own pull to send them more inside passes, in fact, overall, Kevin Rooney is more dominant.
Overall, the starting line-ups of both teams are very strong in each position, and each player has played some wonderful performances in previous series.
Golden State Warriors' strongest rotation lineup vs. Boston Celtics' strongest rotation lineup
Warriors playoff rotation: Gary Payton II, Jordan Poole, Damien Lee, Moses Moody, Juan Toscano Anderson, Jonathan Cuminga, Otto Porter, Bjelica
Celtics playoff rotation lineup: Pritchard, Derrick White, Nick Staskas, Grant Williams, Daniel Tyes
There's no doubt that the Golden State Warriors' playoff rotation has more depth and talent, with Jordan Poole averaging 18.4 points per game in the playoffs. As a point guard, he has excellent self-propelled offensive ability, which is also a key factor for the Golden State Warriors to reach the Finals this year. The Warriors' other rotation players know their role on the team, and their motivation for empty shots and rebounds is pretty good. Gary Payton II is also likely to return, and his return has a big effect on the Golden State Warriors' defense. Cumminga and Porter Jr. are also not small defensively and can also provide offensive firepower.
The Boston Celtics' rotation lineup is actually not very strong, of course, this is for the Golden State Warriors, because their rotation lineup mainly relies on Three players, Payton Pritchard, Derrick White and Grant Williams. All three players are good at shooting in the open and grabbing rebounds, but none of the firepower they offer on the offensive end can match Jordan Pooler's. Unless Grant Williams can average 5-6 three-pointers per game in a crucial game, the Celtics are likely to lose the rotation lineup battle.
Overall, the advantage must belong to the Golden State Warriors because their bench has All-Star player Jordan Poole, and players like Cumminga and Porter Jr.
Golden State Warriors' Strongest Head Coach vs. Boston Celtics' Strongest Head Coach
Golden State Warriors head coach: Kerr
Boston Celtic head coach: Uduka
Over the past few years, Kerr has allowed the Golden State Warriors to dominate almost always, and under his leadership, the golden state Warriors have a rich and colorful team tactical system, and almost every player can actively participate in the team's offense and defense. The three crowns in five years are the best proof. He has proven many times that he knows how to win and how to motivate his players.
Luckily for Boston, the team has a great head coach to play against Kerr's Golden State Warriors. Uduka grew into a good head coach in the first season of his coaching career, grooming the Boston Celtics to be the number one defensive team in the East because they looked the same in the playoffs. He built an interior and exterior defense led by Marcus Smart and Horford, and an attack led by Jaylen Brown and Jason Tatum.
Overall, neither side has a clear advantage. Cole has experience and Uduka has motivation. The Warriors know how to win in the big game, but the Celtics have also been very good throughout the year. But in terms of the overall strength and experience of the team, the Golden State Warriors have a better chance of winning the championship. For the Celtics to win, they have to do more to the team's defense.