The 2022 NBA Finals begin Thursday with Game 1 between the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics at Chase Arena in San Francisco.
The Celtics are in their first Finals since 2010. They defeated the Miami Heat in Game 7 to become Eastern Conference champions. The Warriors are making their sixth Finals appearance in eight years after eliminating the Dallas Mavericks in five games to be crowned Western Conference champs. Golden State has won three of its previous five Finals trips, including back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018.
There's plenty of history at stake, especially for the Celtics, who will move ahead of the rival Los Angeles Lakers for the most championships with 18 if they win this series. Warriors stars Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are trying to join a small club of players (especially over the last 30 years) with four or more championships rings.
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This series promises to be a competitive one that goes six or seven games, and it even has the potential to be an all-time classic.
Which team will take home the Larry O'Brien Trophy? Here's a roundup of expert predictions for the 2022 NBA Finals.
Boston Celtics
Justin Leger, NBC Sports Boston: Celtics in 7
Nick Goss, NBC Sports Boston: Celtics in 6
Darren Hartwell, NBC Sports Boston: Warriors in 6
Tim Bontemps, ESPN: Celtics in 6
Nick Friedell, ESPN: Celtics in 6
Kirk Goldsberry, ESPN: Warriors in 7
Tim MacMahon, ESPN: Warriors in 7
Kevin Pelton, ESPN: Warriors in 7
Anthony Slater, The Athletic: Warriors in 7
Ryen Russillo, The Ringer: Warriors
Stephen Noh, Sporting News: Celtics in 7
Monte Poole, NBC Sports Bay Area: Warriors in 6
Dalton Johnson, NBC Sports Bay Area: Warriors in 6
James Herbert, CBS Sports: Celtics
PointsBet series odds: Warriors -150, Celtics +130
FiveThirtyEight predictive model: Celtics 80 percent, Warriors 20 percent
ESPN Basketball Power Index: Celtics 86 percent, Warriors 14 percent