Loading...
The NBA Wednesday night slate is packed, with one game gathering plenty of attention. The Golden State Warriors will travel cross country to take on the Boston Celtics in what is expected to be a very entertaining game.
Steph Curry has led Golden State to a 6-1 record through 7 games, while Jayson Tatum has led the reigning champs to a 7-1 record to open the season. It should be a fantastic matchup between two elite teams, so let’s preview this matchup and our pick for the game.
It was pure domination for the Celtics last season as they coasted through the regular season and then defeated the Mavericks for their first title since 2008. Unfortunately for the rest of the NBA, the Celtics brought back nearly the same cast from last season. Boston has defeated the Knicks, Wizards, Pistons, Bucks, Hawks and Hornets twice this year. Their only loss came to the Pacers, but it took until overtime for Indiana to accomplish the upset.
When a team wins a Championship, they usually have a target on their back. Teams don’t want to see a dynasty get born, but that’s exactly what’s happened in Boston. The Celtics have embraced the challenge, and a big reason for the success has been Jayson Tatum. The face of the franchise has been phenomenal in the first few weeks: 30.0 PPG, 7.4 RPG, and 5.1 APG on nearly 50% shooting. Plus, NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown is averaging over 25 points per game thus far.
A lot has changed in Golden State lately. The “Splash Bros” broke up in the offseason as Klay Thompson signed with the Mavericks, and then Chris Paul moved on to team up with Victor Wembanyama in San Antonio. Fortunately, they still have Steph Curry, Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green and added Buddy Hield in the offseason. This new and young team has started 6-1 through 7 games, but the wins haven’t been too impressive. Their 6 victories have been against the Trail Blazers, Jazz, Rockets, Wizards, and Pelicans twice.
In the past, Golden State’s strength has been their offense. Between Curry and Thompson on the perimeter, it was hard to keep up with the Warriors. But with a new cast, the Warriors’ identity needed to change. While they still average the 3rd most points per game, the Warriors have also allowed the 2nd fewest points per contest. Their stifling defense has been a big reason for their success and will be crucial against Boston’s dynamic offense on Wednesday.
The Warriors and Celtics are pretty familiar with each other. There’s a lot of history between the teams, coaches, fans and more. It started with the Warriors beating the Celtics in the 2022 NBA Finals as Steph Curry was named NBA Finals MVP. But that was the beginning of Boston’s dynasty as Tatum and Brown blossomed into one of the best duos in the league.
However, it doesn’t stop there. The Summer Olympics happened over the summer, and Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was also the head coach for Team USA. He was the coach of a team of All-Stars – including Jayson Tatum. However, plenty of questions were raised about Kerr’s coaching when he benched Tatum multiple times during the Olympics. This will be Tatum’s first time facing Kerr since the Olympics, meaning there might be some extra motivation for Boston’s superstar.
Keith is a sports writer who has evolved into a sports betting personality across social media in the past several years. He specializes in MLB but also writes about the NFL and NBA.