The 2022 NBA Finals could be a testament to just how much experience matters.
The Warriors’ core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green made appearances in five straight Finals before defections and injuries caused them to miss the 2020 and 2021 playoffs.
They are back now, with an aim to claim their fourth NBA title in the past eight seasons. But against the upstart Boston Celtics, winning another title won’t be an easy task.
The Celtics advanced to Finals for the first time since 2010 after three Eastern Conference finals appearances since Jayson Tatum joined Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart to form a talented young core.
Can the Celtics go into San Francisco and steal Game 1? Or will the Warriors prevail in their first Finals game in Chase Center?
USA TODAY Sports will have live updates and analysis all evening as the 2022 NBA Finals get underway:
Steph Curry sets Finals record in first quarter with 21 points
Finals MVP is the one accolade that has escaped three-time champion Steph Curry. During the Warriors’ three championships, Andre Iguodala won Finals MVP in 2015 and Kevin Durant earned the honor in 2017 and 2018.
He appeared to leave no doubt that he’s on a mission in Game 1. Curry came out cookin’ in the first quarter. He has 21 points on 7-for-9 shooting and 6-for-8 from three.
— Cydney Henderson
With Steve Kerr as coach, Warriors have been on a Game 1 roll
Since taking over as coach of the Warriors in 2014-15, Steve Kerr is 21-2 in Game 1s.
“I’m still upset about the two. I dwell on those two,” Kerr said, joking. “No, we’ve had great success because we have great players, and they play well together. We don’t put any extra emphasis on Game 1s. Game 1s are usually a feeling-out process, especially when you get to the Finals. You don’t know your opponent as well as you know your conference rivals.
“But the main reason for that record is we’ve got great players.”
ABC announcing crew makes NBA Finals history
Mark Jones, Mark Jackson and Lisa Salters are calling Game 1 of the NBA Finals on ABC, becoming the first all-Black announcing crew to call a Finals game. ABC’s lead play-by-play announcer Mike Breen and co-analyst Jeff Van Gundy are in COVID protocol and missed Game 1.
MORE: ESPN without Jeff Van Gundy, Adrian Wojnarowski for Game 1 of NBA Finals due to COVID-19
Gary Payton II is available for Game 1 after fracturing elbow
Payton II is returning to the lineup for Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday, nearly a month after fracturing his left elbow during a hard flagrant foul-2 from Memphis’ Dillon Brooks during the Western Conference Semifinal.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr announced that Payton, Andre Iguodala and Otto Porter Jr. will be available for Game 1. They were all previously listed as questionable earlier Thursday.
“Hopefully you get to see the OGP before the Playoffs, the first round of Playoffs,” Payton told reporters during media day on Wednesday. “Other than that, I’m ready to go.”
Payton averaged 6.1 points and 3.0 rebounds per contest during the playoffs before his injury.
— Cydney Henderson
Celtics concerned about availability of Robert Williams
Boston had encouraging news on its injury report: Marcus Smart is no longer listed on it. Smart missed Games 1 and 4 against Miami in the Eastern Conference finals and was listed as questionable for Game 7 with a sprained right ankle.
“The ankle, pretty serious injury. I’m thankful to be able to play, let alone still be walking,” Smart said Wednesday. “It hurt, but my mom always told me, if you are going to be on the court, you can’t make excuses. If you’re hurt, then sit your tail down. If I’m going to be out there, no matter how much pain I’m in, I can’t let it affect me.”
Boston’s bigger concern is Robert Williams (left knee soreness), who was hobbled in Game 7 against Miami. He had surgery on March 30 to repair a torn meniscus.
Celtics coach Ime Udoka said Williams “will be listed as day to day the rest of the way, how he reacts on it. We’ve kept his minutes lower in the last few games against Miami, and his availability has been up and down based on that game. He’s a true day-to-day situation.”
— Jeff Zillgitt
Stephen Curry suffered injury in Celtics-Warriors regular season game
Stephen Curry went down with a left foot injury late in the first half of the Warriors game against the Celtics on March 16. The injury left Warriors coach Steve Kerr upset with Marcus Smart lunging for a loose ball on the play. Kerr called it a “dangerous” play as he thought Smart dove “into Steph’s knee” as Curry missed the rest of the regular season. Smart, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 72 points in the Celtics’ 110-88 win in San Francisco. Curry scored 30 points in their Dec. 17 meeting, which the Warriors won, 111-107 in Boston.
— Duane Rankin
The best feel-good stories of the NBA Finals
1. Klay Thompson: After missing two full seasons with multiple injuries, Thompson returned to action in January.
He showed flashes early, still hasn’t shown consistency with his shot, but has been special in Golden State’s last two closeout games. Thompson scored 30 in Game 6 against Memphis and 32, hitting 8-of-16 from 3, in Game 5 versus Dallas.
After what he’s endured, Thompson deserved that special moment.
2. Ime Udoka: Brad Stevens going from head coach to president of basketball operations drew more attention than hiring the longtime NBA assistant. Having coached seven seasons (2012-19) under Gregg Popovich, Udoka learned from the best, but the Celtics were 16-19 before beating Phoenix on New Year’s Eve. They won 35 of their last 47 regular-season games to set the stage for a run to the finals.
3. Al Horford: His first run in Boston was an overall disappointment. The Celtics fell short of winning a championship and he didn’t play up to expectations. Horford was with two teams the two previous seasons with his one year at rebuilding Oklahoma City ending with him sitting the last 28 games.
Returning to Boston, the veteran forward has had more than a hand in the Celtics reaching the finals.
— Duane Rankin
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Warriors-Celtics NBA Finals live updates: Game 1 score, highlights
