Listing the 3 best offensive players that will feature in Finals between Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors | NBA Playoffs 2022
The Boston Celtics will face the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals after a decisive win in Game 7 against the Miami Heat on their home court. With both the Celtics and the Heat known to be strong defensive teams, the Boston Celtics took the win because of their edge in offensive ability.
Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum have a reputation for scoring with ease and did so in the series-decider against Miami. But more importantly, Marcus Smart stepped in with a 24-point contribution and acted as the third scorer when Tatum and Brown ran into double-teams.
For the Golden State Warriors, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson have been accounted for in the opponent’s defensive plans. However, Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole have stepped up with strong performances in the playoffs.
The Boston Celtics are one of the strongest defensive teams in the finals, but Steve Kerr’s unit is just a few fractions behind them in defensive rating. This is likely to make converting shots with regularity a bigger challenge for both teams, especially when the stakes are really high.
On that not let’s look at some of the players who are likely to have a strong impact on the offensive end for their respective teams in the 2022 NBA finals.
3 best offensive players in the Boston Celtics vs Golden State Warriors series
#3 Jaylen Brown | 2022 Playoffs – 22.9 PPG
Jaylen Brown has been the perfect partner for Jayson Tatum on the offensive end. He has consistently risen to the challenge and helped the Boston Celtics get out of scoring droughts in games by driving to the bucket with regularity.
Throughout the playoffs, Brown has averaged 22.9 points, shooting 48.5% from the field, and 38.6% from deep.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are the third pair of teammates aged 25 years or younger to reach the NBA Finals averaging 20 PPG each.
— Tatum & Brown (2022)
— Durant & Westbrook (2012)
— DJ & Gus Williams (1979)
"They said we couldn’t play together!" https://t.co/P4EhcM2Inz
The 25-year-old has scored 30 or more points on two occasions, and has converted 75 of his 100 free-throw attempts so far in the playoffs. His ability to get going in a hurry can be detrimental to the Golden State Warriors.
Brown will be key if the Boston Celtics are to string a few stops consecutively and change the pace of the game.
#2 Jayson Tatum | 2022 Playoffs – 27.0 PPG
Jayson Tatum’s offensive ability is evident from the defensive strategy of the teams he’s faced so far in the playoffs. Tatum has been drawing double teams almost every time he touches the ball, in turn resulting in an improved playmaking ability with every passing game.
3x All-Star
Jayson Tatum at 24 years old:
🍀 3x All-Star
🍀 2x All-NBA
🍀 Olympic Gold Medalist
🍀 2022 Eastern Conference Finals MVP https://t.co/ReD0Wgr4qc
Tatum has come up with a string of big nights this year, including a 46-point downpour against the Milwaukee Bucks while facing elimination in Game 6 of the series. He’s averaged 27.0 points in the playoffs, shooting 44.6% from the field, and 37.5% from deep.
#1 Stephen Curry | 2022 Playoffs – 25.9 PPG
Although there have been multiple contributors to the Golden State Warriors’ offense, Steph Curry is still one of their most dominant scorers. The ease with which he shoots is not just beneficial to the Warriors’ offense, but also proves to be a disruption to the opponent’s energy.
Finals appearances in first 13 seasons:
6 — Steph Curry
6 — Michael Jordan https://t.co/q4gZkH0IRT
Curry has averaged 25.9 points in the playoffs, shooting 44.9% from the field, and 38% from deep while scoring 30 points or more on seven occasions. He has scored 415 points in the playoffs so far, and 83 of them have come from the free-throw line, indicating his ability to score off contact.
The Boston Celtics will definitely have to focus on reducing Curry's impact to stand a chance against the experienced Golden State Warriors.