Kevin Garnett was playing for the Boston Celtics the last time they reached the NBA Finals in 2010. Twelve years later, the C's have another chance to bring home Banner 18.
Garnett, who led the Celtics to their 17th NBA title in 2008, believes "anything is possible" for Boston in what should be a thrilling series vs. the Golden State Warriors. He made his official Finals prediction ahead of Thursday night's opener, and let's just say it isn't exactly a shocker.
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“Game 1 of the Finals, first game is always the most difficult,” Garnett said in Showtime's Twitter video. “First game, I’ma go C’s. First game is probably — I don’t mean easy as in simplest, but it’s probably — out of this whole ordeal because of the momentum coming in, coming off a big win, I’m picking the C’s tonight, and I got the C’s for the series.
"This is where I think Boston comes in and establishes what it’s gonna be for the series, and I think it’s adjusted from then on. Game 1 goes to the C’s, but what do I know?”
Oddsmakers feel differently as the Warriors enter the series as slight betting favorites. However, sites with predictive models such as FiveThirtyEight and ESPN are heavily in favor of the Celtics. Opinions from NBA experts are mixed.
Tip-off for Celtics-Warriors Game 1 is set for 9 p.m. ET.