Warriors in 6, Here’s What I Think

Warriors in 6 (7 if they want the extra revenue for luxury tax purposes, tinfoil hat theory there but it’s plausible), here’s why:

Otto Porter Jr will be available and Gary Payton II should play. It’s the NBA Finals, GP2 has worked his ass off and he’s a true dawg on the court so I think he’ll do whatever it takes to play. Iguodala might be available, but I think if anything he’s really just an honorary coach. He’s been so pivotal behind the scenes this playoffs run, lot of news has come out that he’s been great mentoring and keeping everybody in check.

Jayson Tatum, no doubt, WILL get buckets. He WILL perform and score, but I’m expecting Wiggins to be on him pretty much the entire series. If Wiggins plays Tatum the same way he did Luka, Tatum will get worn down eventually. Jaylen Brown of course is also a threat, Horford too, but Tatum is clearly the number one option for Boston. Marcus Smart will be a problem on defense as always, but his offense is still inconsistent. Plus if it ends up being a shoot out, I don’t think any team in the world wants to face the Warriors. Robert Williams an X-Factor for the Celtics, a dominant big man in the post who’s great on the boards, something the Warriors have lacked since the days of Andrew Bogut and Zaza Pachulia. However, Kevon Looney’s been playing on another level. He’s been dominant on the boards and taking advantage of relatively weak interior defenders aside from Jokic.

Boston’s offense has been quite sloppy, they got away with a lot of mistakes the Warriors won’t allow. Not saying the Dubs have been clean either, but they definitely have cleaned it up over the last few games. The Celtics also have faced relatively one dimensional teams in these playoffs. Not their fault, you play who you face. But if you look at it, it’s true. Nets? Get the ball to KD. Bucks? With no Middleton, you get the ball to Giannis. Heat? Get the ball to Jimmy. The Warriors are too dynamic on offense with legitimately seven to eight players who can get you a double double at will right now.

But the biggest reason why the Warriors have the clear edge over the Celtics? The Warriors have been here before. They know what the Finals are like, when the lights are brightest. NOBODY on the Celtics has been this deep, not even Horford. This is their first taste of the Finals. The core three of Steph, Klay and Dray all know what it takes to win. This is their comfort zone. The Celtics most certainly will be back again within the next 3 years if they keep reloading around Tatum, but I just think it’s not their time yet.