The Conference Finals
Down to the final four teams, the top two seeds out East and the No. 3 and No. 4 in the West battle it out with a trip to the NBA Finals on the line… grab your popcorn as it’s time for the Conference Finals
Heat [1] vs. Celtics [2]
Miami and Boston meet in yet another postseason fray, this time a rematch of the 2020 Eastern Conference Finals which took place in the bubble, and although we are past the bubble days, the stakes are just as big with a trip to the NBA Finals on the line.
Based on the matchups both these squads have gotten in the postseason, many people are surprised the Celtics have made it this far, despite being the No. 2 seed. This Boston squad certainly has something to prove and they are out for blood…
After getting eliminated by the Nets in the opening round of the 2021 postseason, Boston found themselves in a rematch this year and took care of Brooklyn in dominant fashion, completing the lone sweep this postseason has seen. Following that short-lived series, the Celtics took on the Bucks in a 2019 conference semifinals rematch and took down the defending champs in a wild 7-Game series to advance against none other than the Miami Heat, a rematch of the 2020 Conference Finals… notice a common theme?
Things are trending in the right direction for this “Celtics Revenge Tour” and yes, Miami has made it to this stage by quite frankly no surprise. Jimmy Butler and co. took care of business against the No. 8 seeded Hawks and then took on a 76ers squad that had Joel Embiid in and out of the lineup. By no means am I discrediting Miami’s run, but it’s tough to argue against the fact that Boston is by far the toughest matchup the Heat have seen this postseason, and rightfully so…
All eyes are going to be on Butler to carry Miami to the NBA Finals, a task he has successfully taken on before.
Jimmy Butler Stats
Playoff Butler is REAL and best believe he is here to stay. The defense tasked with stopping him though happens to be one of the best in the league finishing with the second-best defensive rating of 106.9 during the regular season. Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart may see a fair share of isolation matchups against Butler as well as two-way guards Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown who will be tasked to stop Miami’s star player.
As for Butler’s right-hand man, Bam Adebayo, Boston will have Robert Williams back with no minutes restriction alongside the likes of Al Horford and Grant Williams, giving the Celtics plenty of depth at the big man position. Adebayo has been as good as it gets on both sides of the floor but he isn’t the most consistent when it comes to rebounding which is where Boston’s cleanup crew could thrive and get boards on both ends of the floor. It’s worth noting that Horford and Grant Williams should see formidable minutes due to their ability to score on the offensive end of the floor after having some stellar performances against the Bucks last round.
The heavyweight matchup that every basketball fan is going to have their eyes on though is Butler against Tatum, who is on pace to be the first Celtic ever to average 28/5/5 in a single postseason. We know how good Butler has been this postseason, but Tatum has been just as good, and pair that up with his running mate in Brown, Miami could be in trouble.
Playoff Stats
Something I’ve said time and time again is that the way the modern-day NBA is and the direction the league is continuing to head in is having two players average north of 20 PPG when it matters the most. Sure, Miami had that in the regular season with Butler and Tyler Herro at the helm, but in the postseason, Butler has been doing the heavy lifting as the Sixth Man of the Year in Herro has averaged a mere 13.8 PPG while shooting an abysmal 27.3% from beyond the arc. Perhaps the team will turn to Max Strus to continue his hot streak or give Victor Oladipo more valuable minutes, but ultimately, I trust Boston’s talent and depth in a game or two more than Miami.
Once again this series has the potential to go to seven games, but with the Heat as the higher seed in this situation, a home Game 7 may just tip the series in favor of Miami which is why the Celtics need to wrap this series up in six games. I envision the series to be split 2-2 through the opening four games and for Boston to steal Game 5 in Miami to ultimately close things out at home in Game 6. The Tatum-Brown backcourt paired with a Celtics defense that won’t let up should see the hardwood of The Finals…
Prediction: Celtics in 6
Warriors [3] vs. Mavericks [4]
Stephen Curry. Luka Doncic. A trip to the NBA Finals is on the line. Does it really get better than this? We know what Curry has been capable of, being one of the most entertaining players to watch from the get-go, but Doncic has time and time again left us baffled with his playmaking ability on both ends of the court.
In fact, Doncic is one of three remaining players are averaging 25/5/5 this postseason with Celtics’ Jayson Tatum and Heat’ Jimmy Butler being the other two. Golden State most certainly isn’t taking Doncic’s talent for granted as defensive guru Draymond Green will likely take on the task of setting the tone on defense early on in this series. Fortunately for the Warriors, being the higher seed gives them the opening two games of this series which bodes well as they have yet to lose a playoff game at home this postseason.
Although Green’s defensive presence is a huge domino, Golden State’s depth on offense and scoring options are what’s going to allow them to pull away in many games and make Doncic go bucket for bucket with not just Curry but Klay Thompson, Jordan Poole, and Andrew Wiggins.
Playoff Stats
A 2-0 lead could be in sight for the Warriors before the series shifts to Dallas, where the Mavs are beyond capable of coming out of that deficit…
It’s going to be up to Spencer Dinwiddie and Jalen Brunson to step it up a notch and be a strong second option as the Mavericks are 4-0 this postseason when someone other than Doncic scores 25 points. Although the firepower may not be enough to keep up in a best-of-seven series with Golden State, one thing that’s indubitable is how good Dallas, or rather Doncic is with his back against the wall.
The Slovenian guard averages 38.3 PPG in elimination games, the highest in NBA history. That will allow Dallas to keep this series alive, however, it’s tough to envision the Mavericks taking the Warriors to a seven-game series. Quite frankly, Golden State could wrap things up as early as Game 5 at home, however, that also seems too good to be true. Game 6 seems like the perfect sweet spot for this series as Doncic will force the Warriors to make that one extra trip out to Dallas just to fall victim to “Game 6 Klay”
AP Photo/Jeff Chiu
Ultimately for Golden State, this isn’t some feel-good story where the fans or the franchise views making the conference finals as a successful season. It’s been a gold standard in the Bay Area since 2015 when the Warriors won their first championship since 1973. Every postseason the Warriors have played in since their 2015 title, they have reached the Finals hardwood, so best believe this team is eyeing their fourth Larry O’Brien in the last seven seasons.
The Warriors got now but the Mavs got next…
