The Golden State Warriors are set to play host to the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday evening from The Bay, and it very well could be one of the tougher challenges the Warriors have faced.
Granted, Steph Curry and the rest of the Dubs took on arguably the best player of this generation, LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers, for four consecutive seasons, but the Celtics look like a tougher matchup for Curry.
The Celtics have been the best team in the league since January. They started the season 25-25 but finished 27-6. They possess numerous capable defenders to throw at Curry. They have the Defensive Player of the Year, Marcus Smart, as well as Jaylen Brown, Al Horford and Robert Williams III to harass him.
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith believes this Celtics team is the toughest finals challenge for Curry as Golden State goes for its fourth title during this run that began in 2015:
I think this is the toughest. … That Cleveland Cavaliers team as lethal as they were and ended up being were not these Boston Celtics defensively. Not throughout the year. They were a top 10 defensive team. I think they finished like eighth or seventh overall if I remember correctly, and I know that. Iman Shumpert, we all knew what he could do defensively. J.R. Smith was nothing to sneeze at. Obviously, you had Tristan Thompson and other guys. Kyrie Irving, you get all that, Kevin Love, you saw all of that but at the end of the day, when you look at Boston, you saw there were elements within the Cleveland Cavaliers defense, let’s say a Kyrie Irving for example, on Kevin Love to a lesser degree that you could exploit at least a little bit. In the case of the Boston Celtics, who can you exploit defensively? Your reigning Defensive Player of the Year is Marcus Smart, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have size, athletic ability, agility, etc, etc., and we know what Al Horford and Robert Williams III bring to the equation. So when I look at least at the starting five and then I think about Grant Williams and Derrick White coming off the bench and what they bring to the table I would make the argument, JJ (Redick), I get where you’re coming from. I totally agree with you that the blueprint was set in 2015, 2016, but if I had to give a defensive rating between that team and this Boston Celtics team, I would go with this Boston Celtics team, understanding that you’re right about that blueprint.
Is this the most difficult challenge in the Finals for Curry and the Warriors 🤔 @Stephenasmith believes it is.
“I think this is the toughest. … That Cleveland Cavaliers team, as lethal as they were and ended up being, were not these Boston Celtics defensively.” pic.twitter.com/CSzHMue1jd
— First Take (@FirstTake) June 2, 2022
Smith is right in the sense the Celtics will not be a pushover in this series. Smart, Tatum and Brown will make life tough for Curry and even Klay Thompson on the perimeter.
However, Curry and the Warriors have seen an array of coverages over the years, and they have had success. So it will just be on them to make the necessary adjustments and move forward.
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