Our free NBA picks are out for Game 1 of the NBA Finals series between the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors! Make sure you check our expert NBA picks before the action kicks off.
Look below to find our free NBA picks for the first game of the NBA Finals between the Celtics and Warriors!
Boston Celtics @ Golden State Warriors – 9pm ET
It all comes down to this, the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors will do battle over this best of seven series to see who will be crowned champions. The Celtics beat the Nets in the first round (4-0), they then defeated the Bucks in the Conference Semifinals (4-3) and they were too good for the Heat in the Conference Finals (4-3). The Warriors were no match for the Nuggets in Round 1 (4-1), in the Conference Semifinals they beat the Grizzlies (4-2) and in the Conference Finals they were able to overcome the Mavericks (4-1).
Jeffery Thomas
The Golden State Warriors are back in the NBA Finals for the sixth time in the last eight years and will host the Boston Celtics on Thursday. Boston is coming in battered and bruised after two tough seven-game series against the Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat. They are surely battle tested but it’s hard not to see all those heavy minutes weighing on them against a Warriors team that hasn’t really been pushed to the limit yet.
Given the lack of wear and tear on Golden State coming in and their extra days of rest. I’m surprised to see the line on this game being just four points. Seven of the nine home playoff wins for the Warriors have been by more than this margin and with their home fans behind them to start this series, I could see this one getting out of hand. Last series when the Celtics were coming off a seven-game battle, they came out Game 1 and lost by double digits and I see a similar result playing out in this one.
Jeffery’s NBA Pick: Golden State Warriors -4 (-108)
Noah Dunlap
Well, we’ve arrived. The NBA Finals are set to tip off with the Golden State Warriors (now a mainstay at this point in the season) taking on the Boston Celtics, who have finally gotten back to this point, 12 years after their last Finals appearance. So who has the edge in this one? For Golden State, the question has to be how an extended break affects them. They’ve run through their first three series, with only one even being pushed to six games. They’ve taken care of Dallas in five in the Western Conference Finals, and therefore been off for a full week, so it’ll be interesting to see how that break plays into the rhythm they’ve been playing with so far through this postseason. If Steph Curry and Klay Thompson are hitting their shots, and they get just a bit of help from Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins, I think this is a series that the Warriors can control.
We know Draymond Green is going to do the intangibles, and some things that won’t show up on a stat sheet, but the question for Golden State comes solely down to shooting the ball. On the Boston side of things, I think things are a bit more complicated. They’re a more defensive minded team, so they need that aspect of their team game to always be there if they want a chance. The problem is that, while they do have the offense, when guys are hitting shots, they don’t necessarily have the pure shooters that Golden State does, which could be an issue. If Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are playing well, this is a tight series, but if they struggle at all, I think this one could get out of hand pretty quick. With Game 1 being in the Bay, I think the Warriors look to make an early statement here, and they get the relatively easy win, despite the long break. Take the Dubs by 8-12.
Noah’s NBA Pick: Golden State Warriors -4 (-108)
Tony Battalio
The Boston Celtics have finally reached their goal of making the NBA Finals. Now they are four wins away from getting back to the mountain top of the National Basketball Association and adding another championship to their already storied history. They have had a great season and Jayson Tatum has been the man that makes it all work as he has been nearly unstoppable throughout the 2021-22 playoffs. After two straight Game 7s they may have some exhaustion problems creeping in.
The Golden State Warriors are also four wins away from adding another trophy to their storied history as they have been the most dominant team of the 2010s. They are fully healthy for the first time in two years and they may be better than ever at the moment, as their new “lineup of death” is sort of cruising their way through the playoffs at the moment. I think they will get the victory here in Game 1 of the NBA Finals at home.
Tony’s NBA Pick: Golden State Warriors (-168)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
