The stakes couldn’t be much higher than they were for Game 5 Monday night of the 2022 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Golden State Warriors. In the first four games of the series, both teams took turns winning, with the Celtics taking Games 1 and 3 and the Warriors winning Games 2 and 4. With a two-win draw, Game 5 is likely to go a long way toward determining the final winner. Teams that win the fifth game of the best of seven, tied at 2-2, continue to win this series in over 80 percent of cases.
If the Warriors will be the team that will lead 3-2, they will need guys to strengthen around Steph Curry, who was phenomenal throughout the series. Curry’s 43-point performance in Game 4 was a masterpiece, but Draymond Green, Clay Thompson and Jordan Poole need to do more if the Warriors want to win their fourth ring under Steve Kerr.
On the other hand, the Celtics’ success may depend heavily on their ability to slow Curry down – something they haven’t achieved so far. Maybe catching him and pushing the ball out of his hands is the way. This is a strategy that is at least worth a try. In addition, Boston has to take care of the ball. The Celtics are only 1-6 this postseason in games where they turn the ball 15 or more times. Conversely, they are 13-2 when they limit their revs to 14 or less.
Please check the checkbox to confirm that you want to subscribe.
Thank you for registering!
Keep track of your inbox.
I’m sorry!
There was an error processing your subscription.
Given everything at stake, Game 5 must be an extremely competitive competition. I lean towards Boston because of its incredible ability to always come back after losses. This is how our expert panel sees it shaking.
How to watch game 5 live
- Game: NBA Finals, Game 5
- Date: Monday, 13 June 21:00 ET
- Location: Chase Center – San Francisco, California
- Television: ABC Live Stream: fuboTV (Get access now)
- Coefficient: BOS +145; GS -170; O / U 212 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Game presented Golden State Warriors vs. Boston Celtics
Prediction of the Celtics against the Warriors, game selection 5
Bill Reiter: The Celtics are younger, more athletic, deeper, better in defense and with remarkable resilience and first-class basketball since turning their season into late January. But they don’t have Stephen Curry. And, as we saw in Game 4, neither can stop it. Clay Thompson found some support, Kevan Looney was quietly excellent at the end of the matches in these finals and there is still time for Draymond Green to have the impact we all expected. But it’s just noise that serves as background music for the fact that Curry is a historically great player and, as in Boston a few nights ago, he will not allow his team to lose Game 5, regardless of his supporting cast. Choice: Golden State -3.5 | Warriors 112, Celtics 107
Brad Botkin: I chose Boston to win at seven, but he won’t win game 5. Curry is too hot and I think Clay, who had periods when he seemed ready to blow up, would come home. Draymond needs to be better. I’m counting on it. At this point in the series, I don’t think the adjustments make that much of a difference. There are a few surprises left. I’m curious how long Boston will continue to fall (even if they try to start higher) on Curry, but if that changes, it could ignite Green as a 4-on-3 playmaker, which in turn could fire him. defensively. This is something to watch. Anyway, I think Golden State wins this one. Curry is too much right now. Choice: Golden State -3.5 | Warriors 102, Celtics 95
James Herbert: Boston is the choice. This team bounces back every time it loses, and in particular, it bounces back on offense. I expect this to be more like Game 3 than Game 4, especially when it comes to Jason Tatum’s game. (If I’m wrong, because Steph is going crazy again, great!) Choice: Boston +3.5 | Celtics 114, Warriors 103
Michael Caskey-Blomein: It’s really hard to choose against Steph Curry, given how well he played in the series, but his supporting cast is, to put it mildly, inconsistent. Curry can do so much, especially if Boston changes his defense to try to snatch the ball from Curry’s hands, and it’s hard to trust the guys around him to get the job done right now. Plus, Boston was a stellar result of a loss this postseason, as they lost 7-0 in such situations. Jason Tatum, in particular, has stepped up his game after losing to Boston and can be expected to do the same in Game 5. Choice: Boston +3.5 | Celtics 106, Warriors 100
Sam Quinn: We’ve reached the point in the series where both teams know each other. We know what the rotations will look like. They taught each other the textbooks. There are not many surprises left here. Here’s one thing we know for sure: Golden State can limit Jason Tatum and Jaylan Brown … but Boston can’t do anything to stop Stephen Curry. Many other things can affect the game. Maybe the role players of a team make significantly more shots. Maybe a team gets to the line more often. There are no guarantees for the NBA Finals, but with four games in the books, I take the only constant that this series has given us: Curry. Choice: Golden State -3.5 | Warriors 110, Celtics 101
Colin Ward-Henninger: Usually at this point in the final series, you can start throwing tactics and adjustments out the window, but that’s not necessarily the case here. Steve Kerr still plays with rotations and his choice to split Draymond Green and Kevan Looney proved useful in Game 4. The Warriors’ half-court foul wasn’t good, even with Steph Curry’s feats, but Jordan Poole seems to be turning a corner and probably will win more than Otto Porter in Game 5. The Celtics played well on the road and lost, but Golden State knows how important it is to win that game by returning to Boston. Give me the Warriors. Choice: Golden State -3.5 | Golden State 109, Boston 105
Jasmine Wimbish: Steph Curry was electric in Game 4, but the Warriors needed everything they could to win. Golden State’s production of guys like Clay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins was so inconsistent, and although it’s at Chase Center, I still trust the Celtics a little more right now. I go with them to win. Choice: Boston +3.5 | Celtics 110, Warriors 105
Add Comment