The Warriors have an overwhelming experience advantage in the NBA Finals
By John Buhler
The Golden State Warriors have so much more NBA Finals experience over the Boston Celtics.
With the 2022 NBA Finals set to tip off Thursday night in San Francisco, it should be noted that the Golden State Warriors have infinitely more championship experience over the Boston Celtics.
Although Boston will be playing in its 22nd NBA Finals all time, still in hot pursuit of its league-best 18th championship, the Celtics had not won the Eastern Conference since 2010 until this past weekend. None of the Celtics’ core has gotten this far before. As far as the Warriors are concerned, their dynastic run in the Western Conference may not be entirely over with just yet.
How big of an NBA Finals advantage do the Warriors have? Let’s dissect that real quick, shall we?
Golden State Warriors have a massive NBA Finals advantage over Boston Celtics
With Golden State handling the Dallas Mavericks in five games to win the west, this will be the Warriors’ sixth trip to the NBA Finals during the Steve Kerr era. Not only is the bulk of this team’s core still intact with Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, but this will be the sixth NBA Finals appearance the Warriors have made in eight seasons. Just let that sink in real quick…
While 2019 was not that long ago, it feels like a lifetime ago in some ways. Golden State may have dropped those NBA Finals to Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors, but that was the Warriors’ fifth year in a row winning the west. They won three league championships during that initial run of dominance. After missing out on the playoffs the two previous summers, the Warriors are back!
Ultimately, this all comes down to who wins four games first. Golden State clearly has the experience advantage, but Boston has had the makings of the best team out east for some time now. The Warriors are favored to get that ring for the pinky, but Boston has historically thrived in championship settings when they do get there. Regardless, experience is so on the Warriors’ side.
Game 1 tips off at Chase Center in San Francisco on Thursday, June 2 at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.