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Celtics vs. Warriors Series Prediction and Odds for NBA Finals (Is Boston Team of Destiny?)

By Peter Dewey

Jayson Tatum and Andre Iguodala.
Jayson Tatum and Andre Iguodala. / Maddie Malhotra/GettyImages
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We made it, NBA fans. 

The NBA Finals will tip off on Thursday, June 2 with the Boston Celtics taking on the Golden State Warriors. Golden State advanced to the Finals by defeating the Dallas Mavericks in five games, while Boston finished the Miami Heat in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday night. 

These are the two best defensive teams in the NBA from the regular season (Who said defense wins championships? That guy was pretty smart.)

This is going to be an intriguing matchup, as both teams have the star power to keep up scoring wise, and they also match up very well when either side decides to go small (the Warriors’ calling card). 

In addition, these teams have some wild trends in this postseason. Golden State has yet to lose a game at home, while the Celtics haven’t lost two straight games in the entire postseason. One of those trends will have to give by Game 2 at the latest. 

Let’s get into the odds for the NBA Finals between the Warriors and Celtics via WynnBET: 

Celtics vs. Warriors Series and Exact Outcome Odds

Series Odds

  • Celtics: +125
  • Warriors: -150

Exact Outcome Odds

  • Warriors in 7: +350
  • Celtics in 6: +450
  • Warriors in 5: +450
  • Warriors in 6: +500
  • Celtics in 7: +600
  • Celtics in 5: +900
  • Warriors in 4: +1100
  • Celtics in 4: +1500

Celtics vs. Warriors Series Prediction and Pick

This really is a fantastic matchup. The Celtics will have Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart to check Steph Curry while the Warriors are on track to have Gary Payton II and Otto Porter Jr. ready to go in the Finals to deal with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. 

The role players are going to be huge in this series, as they are in almost every series, but especially on the defensive end for Golden State. The Warriors were able to get a monster series out of Andrew Wiggins in the Western Conference Finals, and he’s going to need to do more of the same against Tatum and Brown. 

When you look at these two teams in the playoffs, their defensive, offensive and net rating are all pretty similar. 

Celtics vs. Warriors Key Playoff Metrics

Defensive Rating

  • Celtics: 105.1 (No. 2)
  • Warriors: 111.0 (No. 6)

Offensive Rating

  • Warriors: 116.1 (No. 1)
  • Celtics: 111.8 (No. 8)

Pace

  • Celtics: 95.92 (No. 7)
  • Warriors: 98.44 (No. 5) 

Net Rating

  • Celtics: 6.7 (No. 1)
  • Warriors: 5.1 (No. 2)

The Warriors are the best offense to run into Boston’s No. 1 defense, but I think that defense is why the Celtics can keep things close and potentially win the series. 

Boston’s rotation is going to be shorter than the Warriors, but they have so many elite defenders in their top seven rotation pieces that the Warriors are going to have to mix-and-match with their scoring lineups. 

Golden State has more experience in the Finals, but this Boston team has been battle tested for years, especially in this year’s playoffs. 

I’ve been on this train all playoffs, and even Curry can’t change it. Boston is the best team in the league because of its defensive versatility and the fact that it has two elite shot makers in Brown and Tatum. 

Lean: Celtics (+125) | Celtics in 7 (+600)

Find Peter Dewey’s full betting record in the NBA this season here.

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