Tag: 2022 NBA Finals

What are the Boston Celtics’ and Golden State Warriors’ title outlooks?

The Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors faced each other in the 2022 NBA Finals, and both squads would like nothing more than another shot at taking on one another in the 2023 Finals

The Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors faced each other in the 2022 NBA Finals, and both squads would like nothing more than another shot at one another in the 2023 finals.

Of course, the odds are against even one of the two clubs playing on the biggest stage based on how teams have fared the year after their finals appearance.

Which team is better positioned to make a finals return? What are the obstacles that need to be overcome by each to get back to the final round of the 2023 NBA playoffs?

The hosts of the ESPN “Debatable” show, Pablo Torre and Domonique Foxworth, with guest Wosny Lambre dived into the debate over the questions we highlighted above as they try to get their bearings on which teams might populate the last playoff series of this season.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what they had to say.

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Celtics Lab 145: Honoring Bill Russell’s legacy and talking Boston basketball with Rep. Ayanna Pressley

This one covers everything from Russell’s impact in Boston and beyond to ranked-choice voting and the strengths of clam chowder vs. Chicago hotdogs as arena food.

The Boston Celtics became the cornerstone franchise of the NBA because of Hall of Fame big man Bill Russell, but the iconic center’s legacy cast a shadow not only over the history of the league itself, but American culture more broadly as a central figure of the U.S. Civil Rights movement of the 1960s.

Like many of us, Rep. Ayanna Pressley is a fan of Russell’s for both basketball and social justice reasons, as well as being no small part of several efforts to give the legendary figure his flowers in the form of his statue in the city of Boston and a resolution honoring his legacy of works extending far beyond the basketball court.

Rep. Pressley joined us on the CLNS Media “Celtics Lab” podcast for our most recent episode to talk about Russell’s impact on the Celtics, the city of Boston, and our society writ large.

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She joins your usual hosts Cameron Tabatabaie, Alex Goldberg and Justin Quinn to chop it up about last season’s finals run, this season’s team, and they even debate the relative strengths of clam chowder vs. Chicago hot dogs as arena food.

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Make sure you don’t miss this episode of the Lab or miscast our representative of Massachusetts seventh district as a Bulls fan — either would be a very big unforced error indeed.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

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‘We were trying so hard to prove to others and ourselves that we belonged,’ says Celtics’ Marcus Smart of 2022 Finals loss

The Flower Mound native suggested Boston is ready to use those lessons as fuel to hang a banner, however.

It isn’t just Boston Celtics reserve forward Grant Williams who believes that his team lost the 2022 NBA Finals to the Golden State Warriors in six games due to an imbalance in Finals experience tilted considerably in the favor of the Warriors.

In a recent interview with Yahoo Sports’ Ben Rohrbach, veteran Celtics point guard Marcus Smart spoke with the Yahoo Sports reporter about how the team ended up falling short in their first trip to the NBA’s biggest stage in this iteration of the core. Specifically, the importance of valuing each and every possession at the level of play was something that ultimately contributed to Boston’s Finals loss.

“I would have to say that assessment, to a certain extent, is true and holds value,” said Smart.

Celtics’ Grant Williams congratulates Steph Curry on degree with Davidson; hints at Finals rematch

“I wore 30 in high school because of you, and now I didn’t win a ring because of you,” joked Williams.

The Boston Celtics may have lost the 2022 NBA Finals to Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors, but that doesn’t mean the two teams treat each other like mortal enemies.

Far from it.

Celtics reserve forward Grant Williams wished his primary obstacle to hanging a banner this summer well after news broke that Curry had finished his degree with Davidson and will be inducted into that school’s Hall of Fame.

“What’s up, brother?” the former Tennessee player asked rhetorically. “First off I wanted to say congratulations. It’s a huge accomplishment, it’s a blessing.”

“I wore 30 in high school because of you, and now I didn’t win a ring because of you,” added Williams, throwing in a good-natured barb, hinting their paths might cross again in the 2023 NBA Finals for a rematch.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear his words in full courtesy of the folks over at NBC Sports Bay Area.

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Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

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How should we look at Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum’s 2022 NBA playoffs performance in light of his injury revelation?

The Celtics star was clearly not right as the 2022 NBA playoffs progressed; should we worry he didn’t want it checked? Admire his resolve?

Should the fact All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum revealed he had been playing in the 2022 NBA playoffs with a nondisplaced fracture in his wrist change how we look at his performance in the Boston Celtics’ run to the NBA Finals?

In a recent interview with Taylor Rooks of Bleacher Report, Tatum spoke at length about a number of Boston-adjacent topics, but his revelation of the injury (sustained late in the 2021-22 NBA season) and its impact on him was far and away the most important aspect of the exchange. The St. Louis native also revealed how reluctant he was to even have it checked out in the first place, given it could have ended with him having to sit out time in the playoffs.

The eponymous hosts of the Jalen and Jacoby show on ESPN recently discussed the Tatum injury revelation and how it shapes their understanding of what the Celtics accomplished in the 2022 postseason in the video embedded below.

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Check out the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

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FULL interview of Boston Celtics star forward Jayson Tatum with Bleacher Report’s Taylor Rooks

The St. Louis native had plenty more to say about the impressive run his Celtics made in the season just past, as well as what might be coming down the pike for Boston fans in the season to come.

By now we’ve all heard how Boston Celtics star swingman Jayson Tatum was playing with a nondisplaced fracture of his wrist to finish out the 2021-22 NBA season into the 2022 postseason, as well as how the loss in the 2022 NBA Playoffs stung in ways non-players rarely fully understand after his recent interview with Bleacher Report’s Taylor Rooks.

But that was the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the talk the two recently had, spanning more than an hour in total. The St. Louis native had plenty more to say about the impressive run his Celtics made in the season just past, as well as what might be coming down the pike for Boston fans in the season to come.

Check out the full interview in the clip embedded below to see what Rooks and Tatum chopped it up about in the Celtics superstar’s full Bleacher Report sitdown.

Listen to the Celtics Lab podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

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‘We’ve had as much of a back-and-forth as you can have off the court,’ says Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams of being roasted by Steph Curry

‘It’s good but you have to compete as hard as you can when you see each other,’ said Williams of his fellow Charlotte native.

Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams is known for being talkative, and sometimes his loquacious nature can get him into situations like the one he recently found himself in at the 2022 ESPYs. The Tennessee product was being roasted by the Dubs’ Stephen Curry after Williams suggested the Golden State Warriors were not the better team despite beating Boston in six games.

Asked by Bryan Kalbrosky about the roast in a recent interview on our sister site For The Win, Williams shed some light on how he was taking getting cooked by Chef Curry. “I was laughing,” claimed Williams. “Steph is a fellow Charlotte guy. It was funny and goofy.”

“We’ve had as much of a back-and-forth as you can have off the court,” he added. “I feel like that’s my thing.”

“It’s good but you have to compete as hard as you can when you see each other,” noted the Celtics swingman, acknowledging it’s not enough to say things, but that they also need to be backed up by excellent play.

“It’s been a fun summer,” offered Williams, probably smiling.

Check out the Celtics Lab podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

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NBA Today crew react to Celtics’ Grant Williams claim Boston was better team than Dubs in 2022 NBA Finals

The Celtics forward’s words caused quite a stir.

To play in the NBA, you need to have a level of confidence in one’s self that to others might at times seem a bit exaggerated, even to the point of seeming absurd to most of us mere mortals. But at times that confidence may prove a little too over the top even for the Olympian levels of self-assurance one can see in the sport’s most competitive league.

Such may have been the case when Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams claimed he believes that the Celtics were the better team than the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals on Miami Heat wing Duncan Robinson’s podcast, losing to the Bay Area team only because of their veteran discipline.

Those words resulted in a roast of Williams by Curry on the Espys soon afterward, and now the hosts of ESPN’s “NBA Today” recently reacted to the Celtics swingman’s words as well.

Watch the clip embedded above to see what they had to say about Williams’ claims on which was the better team.

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This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire.

Follow us on Facebook and check out the Celtics Lab podcast on:

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Steph Curry takes jab at Grant Williams, Celtics during ESPYs open

Steph Curry poked fun at Grant Williams and the Boston Celtics as host of the annual ESPY Award show.

Golden State Warriors star point guard Steph Curry had the honor of hosting the 2022 ESPY Award show in Los Angeles, the annual event held to raise money for the V Foundation and to recap the year in sports. Fresh off his fourth NBA title, the two-time MVP joined previous hosts such as Drake, Megan Rapinoe, and Samuel L. Jackson.

As part of his emcee duties, Curry opened the event like any other award show. He made a jab at his old foil LeBron James and warmed the Hollywood crowd up with a little banter. He then turned his attention to the 2022 NBA Finals, where Golden State bested the Boston Celtics in six games. As Curry stated, “there’s nothing LA loves more than beating the Celtics.”

With Grant Williams in the audience, Steph continued, teasing Boston’s young power forward. Curry to Williams in the audience: “It’s great to see you again, my man.”

Curry then suggested Williams admired his outfit, suggesting he could borrow it if he liked. Including the ring. Waka! Waka!

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire.

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‘Those are things I’ll never forget,’ says Juan Toscano-Anderson of winning a title with the Golden State Warriors

Toscano-Anderson grew up a Warriors fan, but that doesn’t compare to his experience as a Warriors champion.

Golden State Warriors champion forward Juan Toscano-Anderson may have jumped ship to join the Los Angeles Lakers, but the Dubs will always be a part of the Oakland native. Conversely, because of his hand in the Warriors’ 2022 title, the team and JTA will forever be entangled.

And to Toscano-Anderson, that’s the way things should be, given Golden State was a formative force in shaping the Californian into the basketball player he is today. Speaking with Warriors Wire in Mexico City for a basketball camp he hosts in his family’s ancestral country, Toscano-Anderson related what it was like for a local son such as himself to win a title with the team representing his Bay Area Warriors.

“It was amazing,” said the former Duns wing. “I think the most amazing part was being at the parade.”