The Boston Celtics did what they had to do to put themselves in a good position in the NBA Finals. Getting a split of the first two games on the road against the Golden State Warriors gave the Cs homecourt advantage with the teams heading to Beantown for Game 3 on Wednesday night. There have been plenty of blowouts this postseason and the Finals are no different. Both teams got double digit payout wins in the Bay Area with the Warriors leveling the series on Sunday with a 107-88 victory.
Golden State Warriors vs Boston Celtics Date/Time
Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics takes place on Wednesday, June 8, 2022 and will air live on ABC with tip off at 9 p.m. ET from TD Garden. BookMaker.eu will have betting options for every game on the NBA playoff schedule.
Golden State Warriors vs Boston Celtics Odds
Golden State Warriors +3.5
Boston Celtics -3.5
Over / Under 212
Playoff Analysis
Not wanting to fall into a 0-2 hole, what we saw in Game 2 wasn’t a complete surprise. And the Warriors did what they’ve done so many times in the past by turning a two-point halftime lead into a rout with a dominant third quarter. After blowing a 15-point third quarter lead in the opener, the Warriors made sure that didn’t happen on Sunday.
Now, there was a combination of factors: the Dubs playing with a sense of urgency and the Celtics letting out a sigh after taking Game 1. Still, it was vintage championship-era Warriors basketball as they improved to 13-5 SU and 10-8 ATS this postseason. Most of that success has come at home, though. The Warriors are 3-4 SU and 2-5 ATS on the road.
With a chance to sweep the first two games on the road I expected a better effort from the Celtics on Sunday. I also expected the Warriors to be ready and they certainly were. Boston played an inspired first half, but their shooting difficulties and inability to take care of the basketball was their downfall. I guess it’s easy to let up a little bit after securing a win in Game 1.
Playing in the Garden hasn’t exactly been a death sentence for opponents this postseason. The Celtics are 5-4 at home, but have a losing record on the parquet floor over their previous seven games going just 3-4. They lost two of three at home in the Eastern Conference final against Miami and they are 4-5 ATS this postseason.
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors did what they had to do on Sunday getting the split with an emphatic victory. And the defense led the way after crumbling in the fourth quarter of Game 1. They made sure there would be no comeback pushing a 2-point halftime lead to 23 points entering the final stanza. The Dubs held Boston to 38 percent shooting and forced 18 turnovers never allowing the Celtics to get into a rhythm offensively.
We haven’t seen much rhythm from the Warriors on offense and they’re probably feeling fortunate they got a split. Their two big scorers had a tough time on Sunday with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson combining to shoot 13 of 40 overall and 6 of 20 from behind the arc. Thompson is shooting 30.3 percent from the floor and 26.7 percent from deep in the series. Getting him in a groove certainly helps the Warriors chances moving forward.
Boston Celtics
While the Warriors look for more from Thompson, the Celtics desperately need Jayson Tatum to start playing like he did for most of the season and the earlier playoff rounds. At least he has an excuse with this being his first Finals appearance. Even in their Game 1 win Tatum wasn’t much of a factor scoring 12 points on 3 of 17 shooting. He scored 28 points in Game 2 on 8 of 19 shooting but was a putrid minus-36 on the box score plus/minus. The Celtics were outscored by that many points with him on the floor. The next worst number was Derrick White at minus-12.
Having yet to lose consecutive games the Celtics responded to their previous six setbacks with some impressive victories. They won those contests by an average of more than 15 points with three coming by 20 points or more. But their last one may have been the biggest beating Miami on the road in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final.
Warriors vs Celtics Prediction
If both teams find middle ground we can actually have a close game in this series. And I did expect things to more competitive in the first two outings yet we had a pair of runaway victories. The Celtics need to refocus after a disastrous second half in Game 2. They got a split without much help from Tatum and I see him making an appearance on Wednesday helping Boston get the upperhand in the series.
Prediction: Boston Celtics -3.5 and UNDER 212
