Dan Karpuc: Warriors Win Series In 6 Games (+550 at DraftKings)
As much as I would love my Celtics to win this series, I have to bet with my head and not my heart. Brad Stevens did an amazing job putting this Celtics roster together and Boston has a suffocating defense, but this Warriors team is too deep for me to ignore. While Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are legitimate stars, this Celtics defense will have to deal with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole, while Draymond Green will be a force as a defender and a facilitator. I also fear that Robert Williams and even possibly Al Horford will be rendered useless against Golden State’s “death” lineup in which they’d go very small in an attempt to throw Boston’s defense off-balance and push the tempo. We’ve seen what happens when the Celtics’ defense is able to get set, so I expect Golden State to push the pace and get out on the break as much as possible. In all, the Warriors’ experience should be a major asset for them and I expect them to take care of business in six games.
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Lucy Burdge: Celtics Win Series in 7 Games (+600 at BetMGM)
I think this series will go seven games and, as I’ve gone with Celtics in seven the past two series, I feel it’s only right to go Celtics in seven here. This team has defied so many odds to get to the Finals and I don’t think they’ve come this far just to come this far. Draymond Green tried to jinx them by saying he knows the Warriors will be facing the Celtics in these Finals because he was scared to face them and hopefully the Celtics use this as bulletin board material for extra oomph. After what Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Co. did to the Bucks and the Heat, they are coming into this with the confidence that they can beat any team, and I see that helping to propel them to finish Golden State off in seven games.
Brad Pinkerton: Warriors Win Series In 7 Games (+400 at BetMGM)
After too many lopsided games/quarters in the Eastern Conference Finals and a relative lack of drama in the Western Conference Finals, this is going to be a wild, close series that will go the distance. While I do think Boston can win the title despite facing four potential road games, asking them to knock off a well-rested Golden State team after that physical (and ugly) series against Miami is a bit too much. Plus, getting +400 odds on a very likely scenario that the Warriors get pushed to the brink by Boston, but ultimately win Game 7 on their home court is too good to pass up.
Nick Ashooh: Warriors Win Series in 6 Games (+550 at DraftKings)
Experience is a huge factor in the NBA Finals, and the Warriors have the roster with a clear advantage having played collectively 123 NBA Finals games, while the Celtics have a grand total of zero together. There's also the coaching side of things, with Steve Kerr having won eight rings as a player and coach, and Boston’s first-year coach Ime Udoka having only been to the Finals as an assistant. There’s also the back-to-back, seven-game series the Celtics have had to grind through, while the Warriors wrapped up the Mavs in five and got a week off before the Finals. In the end, I've been on the Warriors (-160 series) to win it all since the start of the playoffs, and I like Golden State in six games. The Celtics won't make it easy, but Golden State has too much working in their favor to not come out on top when it's all said and done.
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