The road to the 2022 NBA Finals was an open race given the quality of teams coming from the Eastern and Western conferences. There was plenty of talent spread across the league, defending champions Milwaukee bucks and runner-ups Phoenix Suns kept their core lineup, while the Los Angeles Lakers, Philadelphia 76ers, and the Brooklyn Nets looked like worthy candidates to get to the final stage of the tournament.

After an exciting run to the Conference Finals, the list is now down to two teams: Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics. The Celtics entered the season as dark horses, while the Warriors weren’t a popular pick with Klay Thompson still on the injury report. At the end of it all, both teams powered through and delivered unbelievable performances to secure a spot in the NBA Finals.

With the NBA Finals about to commence, Nitrobetting takes a closer look at the three best storylines for the Celtics vs. Warriors series.

Top Storylines For The 2022 NBA Finals

The stage is SET.

Warriors. Celtics. THE NBA FINALS ?#NBAFinals presented by @YouTubeTV pic.twitter.com/nZbDcOW377

— NBA (@NBA) May 30, 2022

READ MORE: 2022 NBA Finals Most Crucial Matchups

Boston sets the tone on the road

The duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are eager to set the tempo. They have been one of the most imposing attacking pairs in the playoffs and achieved plenty of success in the regular season. Tatum averaged 27.0 points per game on 44.6% shooting in the postseason. On top of that, he registered 11 games with 27 points or more. Another important element of his game in playoff basketball features his rebounding, as Tatum averaged 6.7 boards per game and recorded seven games with at least eight rebounds.

Rebounding is a crucial component of the Celtics’ strategy, especially since the Warriors are also competent on this end of the court. Jayson Tatum needs to keep his two-way playing factor in check while Jaylen Brown needs to elevate his game and get Tatum involved in plays.

Setting the pace demands everything from the Celts. Tatum can only do so much for his side, which calls for secondary stars like Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, and Al Horford to step up. Boston’s core team proved themselves against Miami, with glorious moments coming from Brown, Derrick White, and Grant Williams. This is something that needs to bolster up against Golden State.

Pushing early into the series puts the Celtics and their defense in the forefront. It allows the side to take early leads and inflict high-level defensive measures that might be the best the Warriors will play against in the postseason. Furthermore, getting on top early allows the star duo time to build their confidence.

A three-point barrage

The NBA playoffs featured a multitude of blowouts. Despite stretching the Semifinals and the Conference finals to seven games, the team recorded a margin of victory in their four wins over the Heat. However, we will likely see numbers toning down against a tougher and more consistent Warriors side. Boston does have dynamic defense to keep the Dubs on their toes, but the Warriors have an unlimited armory of attackers.

The Warriors’ trump card is their ability to shoot from deep. Boston sports solid numbers when defending the arc, but guys like Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Jordan Poole means more players to defend. We expect the Warriors to shoot over Boston’s rather impressive interior defense.

We look forward to a Warriors team overwhelming the three-point line. When one or two from the aforementioned names catches fire, it will be difficult for the Celtics to keep up. Golden State is locked in on another championship and primed to make it considering their form alone. There’s no better way of turning it into reality than doing what they do best and shooting the three-ball.

Battle of the boards

Three-point shooting is of paramount importance for both sides especially with the Warriors dedicating more time to small ball plays, but so is grabbing rebounds. Williams’ knee injury is an impending issue for the Celtics and he looked off the pace in Game 7 despite closing the series. However, the Celtics remain rebounding juggernauts as of late. Boston outrebounded the Heat, averaging 44.9 boards versus Miami’s 40.6 per game. Veteran Al Horford kept his team alive in this department while covering for Williams. The 35-year-old led the series with 10 rebounds per game and kept Bam Adebayo behind at 8.4 per game. Horford also averaged two blocks per game.

Kevon Looney finding his footing in the last few games helped Golden State collect boards and provide much-needed assistance. Additionally, the Warriors put on an excellent display of rebounding against the Mavs. They averaged 46.8 rebounds in the series, beating Dallas by over ten rebounds per game. Apart from doing well from deep, Golden State can go toe-to-toe with the Celts in this department. Kevon Looney recorded the team-high rebounding in the series with 10.6 boards per game.

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