The 2022 NBA Finals will finally begin Thursday night when the Golden State Warriors host the Boston Celtics in Game 1 at Chase Center.
The Celtics' goal should be getting at least a split in Golden State before the series shifts to TD Garden in Boston. This will be a tough challenge, though, given the Warriors' 9-0 record at home in the playoffs.
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That said, the Celtics have been an excellent road team in the postseason with a 7-2 record, including a Game 7 win over the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Celtics also have won four consecutive games at Golden State, with their last loss coming in 2018.
Celtics Talk: Celtics in 7? Breaking down NBA Finals matchup against the Warriors | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
So, just how important is Game 1 of the NBA Finals? Consider the following stats:
- The winner of Game 1 in the NBA Finals wins the series 70.7 percent (53-22) of the time.
- The winner of Game 1 at home wins the series 77.6 percent (45-13) of the time.
- The Celtics are 14-7 all time in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. They are 13-1 in the NBA Finals after winning Game 1.
- This is the fifth time the Celtics are playing Game 1 of the NBA Finals on the road. They are 1-3 in those matchups and 2-2 in those series. They've lost the last two such series (1987 and 2010).
- The Warriors are 7-0 all time in Game 1 of the NBA Finals at home, and 8-3 overall.
The Celtics haven't played too well in Game 1s during this playoff run.
Boston Celtics
They needed a buzzer-beater from Jayson Tatum in Game 1 of the first round to beat the Brooklyn Nets. The C's lost Game 1 at home in the second round against the Milwaukee Bucks, and they lost Game 1 on the road against the Heat in the conference finals.
Beating the Warriors in Game 1 of the NBA Finals will be Boston's most difficult challenge yet.