By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.

THE talk in the world of sports today is the NBA championship between 17-time champion Boston Celtics against 6-time winner Golden State Warriors (GSW) in the best-of-seven championship series.

The San Francisco, California-based Warriors easily entered the 2021-2022 NBA Finals by beating 2011 NBA champions Dallas Mavericks in the best-of-seven Western Conference Finals via 4-1 score, while the Celtics crossed the threshold by edging 2013 NBA titleholders Miami Heat, 100-96, in the seventh and final game of the Eastern Conference Finals, 4-3, to achieve the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010. Yes, it was a typical win for the resilient Celtics but ended in a thud for the Heat, coached by Filipino-Greek blooded Erik Spoelstra. Erik’s mother named Elisa Celina is from San Pablo City, Laguna.

The two former champions, Warriors and Celtics, will clash for the NBA title for the second time after the 1964 Finals that saw Celtics, starred then by the legend Bill Russel, winning the coveted tiara in five games. That was 58 years ago and NBA games have innovated since. It is apparent today that most teams, if not all, are more focused in honing their shooting skills from the three-point area, unlike before.

As in the past seasons, the championship clash will be conducted in the best-of-three format with the first two games to be held on June 3 and 5 at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California with the Warriors taking the home court advantage for having better records overall during the elimination rounds. Records show the Warriors’ win in Boston, 111-107 last December 17, was behind 30 points from Stephen Curry. Then the Celtics avenged their defeat at Warriors home floor last March 16 with a rout, 110-88, but that was because Curry injured his foot and was sidelined for almost two months. Once fully recovered, Curry led the Warriors 12-4 in the playoffs, beating the Denver Nuggets, the Memphis Grizzles and the Dallas Mavericks. The rest is history. The Warriors are back to the title round.

Unknown to many, Steve Kerr is the head coach now of the Warriors and Udoka, the head coach of the Celtics were both former assistant coaches of then San Antonio Spurs head coach Greg Popovich during prime times of the Spurs led then by Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Kawhi Leonard, Pau Gasol, to name some, almost a decade ago. I believe that this is the first in NBA history that two former assistant coaches of the same team will clash against each other to steer their respective teams for the NBA title.

For the 17-time winner Celtics, it is now their big chance to break the tie with arch-rival Los Angeles Lakers as far as NBA titles are concerned. On the other hand, it is also the big chance for the Warriors to win their seventh diadem and break the deadlock with the Chicago Bulls then propelled by basketball icon Michael Jordan, for the third-most championship wins in NBA’s history.

I’m making this piece on June 2 so by the time you read this article, the first two games were already done with basketball connoisseurs predicting victories for GWS because of their home court advantage. That’s my fearless forecast, too, and all the way to the championship. But I may still be wrong. I’m just human.

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. JOHN 3: 31.

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