Steve Kerr Sees Similarities In Celtics’, Warriors’ Road To NBA Finals
The NBA Finals is nearly upon us, with the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors set to do battle in Game 1 on Thursday night. But before the series does get started, we’ve seen, read and heard a lot of reflection regarding the paths taken by both franchises.
The latest to go down memory lane, and give his thoughts on the paths taken by the Celtics and Warriors, was Golden State head coach Steve Kerr.
“What I see in Boston is a great defensive team, super athletic, a team that has continuity,” Kerr said, as seen in video provided by NBC Sports Boston. “They’ve been in the playoffs year after year, with the same core. So it’s a team that has worked its way to this point, in a very natural organic way.
“Traditionally, this is how it’s supposed to work in the NBA. If you look over the years, you grow a team through the draft, you take your lumps in the playoffs, you climb up and then you get to the finals. Our team was built somewhat the same way… what I like is it’s two teams that were mostly built with patience, through the draft and development, player development and continuity, and I think that’s good for the sport.”
Kerr’s assessment of the team building strategy taken by the Celtics and Warriors is mostly rooted in fact, especially when comparing the rosters on each side.
Both teams drafted four of the five players in their respective starting lineups, with the least experienced of those players being Robert Williams III, who is already in his fourth season. Grant Williams and Jordan Poole, key bench contributors for both the Celtics and Warriors were each drafted and developed to fit in those roles. Al Horford and Andrew Wiggins, the only traditional starters on each team to come in as free agents, have done so with rousing success by rounding out their respective lineups.
The 2022 finals will be a battle to discover which team has used that strategy more successfully, with Game 1 set to tipoff at 9 p.m. ET at Chase Center.
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