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Warriors depth will pose biggest, not-yet-seen threat to Celtics

By Nathan Beighle

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - DECEMBER 17: Marcus Smart #36 of the Boston Celtics falls as he attempts to gain possession of the ball against Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors at TD Garden on December 17, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - DECEMBER 17: Marcus Smart #36 of the Boston Celtics falls as he attempts to gain possession of the ball against Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors at TD Garden on December 17, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Getty Images) /
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The Golden State Warriors should have about an 8-man rotation, and their depth is going to be an issue for the Boston Celtics.

The Celtics have managed to plow through 3 top-heavy teams. While sweeping the Kevin Durant-led Nets is mightily impressive, outside of Kyrie Irving and the former MVP, there wasn’t much support on that team.

The Golden State Warriors will toss four elite scorers, size and depth at the Boston Celtics, a combination they haven’t seen in the postseason.

They then took on the Milwaukee Bucks who were without their second-best scorer, All-Star guard Khris Middleton. That forced Jrue Holiday to step up and then Grayson Allen to carry a heavier scoring load.

Finally, they took on the Miami Heat in the conference finals. The Heat were without Tyler Herro for most of the series which erased 20.7 points per game he averaged during the regular season.  That forced Jimmy Butler to be the hero, which he almost was.

Two teams dealt with injuries to their second-best scorer while the first was also hampered by injury and incredibly incomplete in terms of depth and size. The route hasn’t necessarily been easy for the Celtics, but the Warriors will pose the bigger threat.

Their depth is a key reason why.

The Warriors have just about everything to throw at you.

From size to speed to defense, Golden State will be able to toss a combination of skills the Celtics haven’t seen. After all, there aren’t many teams with 4 players that averaged over 17 points per game during the regular season.

Add in a former Defensive Player of the Year and a center that posted a 22-rebound performance in a close-out game earlier in the postseason, and you have a team that’s primed to give Boston all it can handle.

On top of those six, the Warriors will more than likely get Gary Payton II back for Game 2 with him being dubbed a game-time decision for Game 1. Otto Porter Jr. and Andre Iguodala both were full participants in practice as well.

Next. Top 30 Golden State Warriors players in franchise history. dark

The Warriors will have the chance to go nine deep with four lethal scorers. That’s going to cause problems and could be what hurts Boston the most.

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