The Golden State Warriors are headed to the NBA Finals for the sixth time in eight seasons, and regardless of who they face, the Dubs will come in as favorites.
Golden State will either get the Jayson Tatum-led Boston Celtics or Jimmy Butler-led Miami Heat, and they, while different, are both gritty and play elite-level defense. Both also have size and length which could make it a difficult matchup for the Warriors either way.
The Warriors may prefer to take on the Heat in the NBA Finals, but regardless, a Game 7 will be mentally and physically draining for both sides.
Surprisingly, both teams have won multiple games on the road in their Eastern Conference Finals series with Boston taking Game 5 in Miami and then the Heat winning Game 6 at TD Garden.
The Celtics will now travel to take on the Heat in Game 7. Having taken down the Bucks in Game 7, Boston is no stranger to difficult matchups; however, that one was at home which will be a drastic difference for Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
While the Warriors may prefer to face the Heat, there being a Game 7 is a small boost to their NBA Finals chances as well. The Heat are already banged up, and for the Celtics, this will be their second straight full 7-game series.
Draymond Green weighed in on who he thought the Warriors would be taking on, and the Heat undoubtedly heard that. Veteran Udonis Haslem commented on what Green said following Miami’s Game 6 victory.
Udonis Haslem went up to the broadcasting team and told them to tell Draymond Green “Thank you for the inspiration” 😭 https://t.co/LLtpQyTIZA
— Alexis Morgan (@alexismorgan) May 28, 2022
There seemed to be many Heat players aware of what Green said. The four-time All-Star forward is smart enough and should understand the platform he has enough to know his comments would’ve been heard throughout the league.
That they were, and they may have sparked a bit of motivation in the Miami locker room.
Given their lack of playmaking, the Heat actually seem like the preferred matchup, especially considering the injuries they currently have. The most notable injury is to guard Tyler Herro who is suffering from a groin strain and has missed the last couple of games.
Green may want to play Miami which could be the reason for the comment, or he just thought the Celtics would come out on top, which was the far more probable side as well. Either way, fans will get an ECF Game 7 on Sunday.