Boston Celtics: 3 advantages Cs have over Warriors in NBA Finals
By Ryan Cinque
The Boston Celtics have gone through the gauntlet in order to make the NBA Finals. They swept Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in round one, they took down the best player on the planet in Giannis Antetokounmpo in seven games, and they beat Jimmy Butler and his top seeded Heat in seven games as well.
A pretty remarkable run thus far that is made even more impressive considering this team took the hard road every chance they could.
Their reward for all of this? A date with the Golden State Warriors dynasty making their sixth finals appearance in eight seasons — a feat no team has achieved since Michael Jordan’s Bulls in the 90s.
This is without question the toughest challenge that the C’s will face this postseason. The trio of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green have already won three championships together and have plenty of firepower beyond those three who are hungry for their first championship. Andrew Wiggins is developing into the player that people believed he could be and Jordan Poole is capable of dropping 30 points on any given night.
The Warriors are full of both talent and experience, and tons of it at that. The Dubs have a combined 123 games of NBA Finals experience on the roster while the Boston Celtics have a combined 0 games of experience. This is the largest gap in finals experience since Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls took on John Stockton and Karl Malone’s Utah Jazz in 1997.
That being said, this Boston Celtics core may not have any finals experience but they have been tested plenty along with a few deep playoff runs. On top of that, they’ve responded every single time their backs have been against the walls during these playoffs.
The Celtics have just as much talent as the Warriors, and have plenty of experience of their own. Boston has stepped up to every challenge they’ve faced thus far and have given fans no reason to think this series will be any different. This Boston team will not be frightened by the bright lights, the experience gap, or the dynasty. They have given fans plenty of reasons to believe that they have a legitimate shot at winning it all and hanging Banner No. 18.
There is no denying the fact that the Warriors have some advantages over the Celtics, but on the flip side, Boston has plenty of their own as well. Here are three advantages the C’s have over the Warriors in the NBA Finals.
Boston Celtics advantage No. 1: They’ve solidified themselves as road warriors
The Boston Celtics have played nine road games during this postseason and have an amazing record of 7-2 in those games. They won Games 3 and 4 in Brooklyn, they won Game 4 along with an elimination Game 6 in Milwaukee, and they won Games 2, 5, and 7 in Miami. The Heat had a perfect home playoff record before dropping three of four on their home court.
Their road record has great significance because the Golden State Warriors are heading into the finals with a perfect 9-0 record in the Chase Center. They’re known for being one of the best home teams in the NBA during their dynasty and that has held true during this postseason.
An interesting stat to know is that only seven teams in NBA history have won eight or more road games in a single postseason, with five of those teams winning the title. If the Celtics are to win the NBA title this year, they will add to that list since they mathematically can’t win the series without stealing at least one game on the road.
Being a good road team is always essential to any championship run, but it becomes even more important without home-court advantage. The Warriors haven’t been tested to the extent that the Celtics have and the Cs have had the advantage of playing some pivotal win or go home elimination games on the road this postseason, and they won both of them. This experience will only help them for their games out West and could prove to be a difference maker in this series.