2022 NBA Playoffs: Picking the loaded conference finals

And then there were four…

The Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics, Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks are all legitimate championship contenders and should make this year’s conference finals one of the most exhilarating in league history. 

Exciting aspects each team share is they are deep and well-coached. Each of their head guys make adjustments so it will be difficult to see complete dominance in any series. Also, – funnily enough –  there is no dominant center. Thus, it’ll be the battle of who can play small ball best. 

Get ready for some fast-paced, highly strategic basketball! 

BEASTS OF EAST 

Boston Celtics (2) vs. Miami Heat (1)

CELTICS IN 7

For years, the Celtics have been knocking at the door of the NBA Finals. Now that they have the intelligent, forceful Ime Udoka tapping on the door with a sledgehammer, they will finally break through. 

They have the elite defense, the restless core of Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum and role players who are not afraid to win a ball game for the C’s in Grant Williams, Al Horford and Peyton Pritchard. 

It will not be easy because the other side matches Boston in depth, smarts and killer instinct. 

Boston, however, has the edge with talent and must play on that to win this series. I love Grant Williams but he shouldn’t be the separator. It should be Brown and Tatum, who are the best players in the series. They HAVE to live up to the moment to get over their proverbial Eastern Conference Finals hump. 

Miami doesn’t need Kyle Lowry to win this series but he could make life a smidge easier for the Heat. Expect Jimmy Butler to be Jimmy Butler. Bam Adebayo will have a big series and the shootout between Sixth Man of the Year Tyler Herro and Pritchard will be spectacular. 

Small mistakes will cost big time in this series, which will go down to the last possession of the last possible game. 

But for the first time since 2010, the Celtics will be back in the Finals. 

WILD, WILD WEST

Dallas Mavericks (4) vs. Golden State Warriors (3) 

WARRIORS IN 6

The Warriors do NOT want this to go past six games because they don’t want any part of what the Mavericks did to the Phoenix Suns in Game 7 on Sunday night. 

Let me be clear, however: The Warriors are not the Suns. 

The Warriors are three-time NBA champions. 

The Warriors have guys who will show up in big moments. 

The Warriors will play with a sense of urgency when it’s time to close out a team. 

Will Luka Dončić be special? You can bet your life on it. I also expect Jaylen Brunson and Spencer Dinwiddie (I love that dude) to show up and show out. 

But don’t bet against Draymond Green, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson AND Steve Kerr. 

The Grizzlies had a slim chance of knocking off the Warriors because one of those guys (Kerr) was out Games 4, 5 and 6. If the Grizz had their superstar, they would’ve had a legitimate shot. 

Those four Warriors are the TRUE death line up and will neutralize Luka’s magic. They’ve been together for too long and through too much together to fall to the hands of this upstart Mavericks team. 

Otherworldly superstars have a good chance to beat this version of the Warriors but there needs to be two of them. The rest of the Mavericks can be that second superstar, but they have to play great all series – not just at home – to knock off this experienced, championship squad. 

The Warriors need to lean on Kevon Looney again to outpace these Mavericks because they are weak on the interior. They also need to guard the three WAY better and constantly throw different bodies at Luka to slow him and rough him up. 

The Mavericks can win this series if they push the older Warriors to the brink. Of course, they have to shoot the three like they did in the Suns series but also play on the bad shooting nights of the Warriors. 

Expect Klay and Steph to shake off their shooting slumps in this series, though. The Dallas defense is decent but not elite enough to contain the ever-sprinting sniper Splash Brothers. 

Draymond has to be his usual self. If he is great with playmaking, rebounding and annoying the hell out Dončić , this series will go a lot easier than expected for the Warriors.