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The stakes couldn’t be much higher than for Game 5 of Monday night’s 2022 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Golden State Warriors. In the first four games of the series, the two teams took turns winning, with the Celtics winning Games 1 and 3 and the Warriors winning Games 2 and 4. With the series tied at two wins apiece, Game 5 will likely go a long way in determining the ultimate winner. Teams that win the fifth game of a best-of-seven series 2-2 win that series over 80 percent of the time.
If the Warriors want to be the team that goes 3-2 up, they’re going to need some guys to take care of Steph Curry, who has been phenomenal throughout the series. Curry’s 43-point performance in Game 4 was a masterpiece, but Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole need to do better if the Warriors are to win their fourth ring under Steve Kerr.
On the other hand, the Celtics’ success could very well depend on their ability to slow Curry – something they have not yet achieved. Maybe catching him and forcing the ball out of his hands is the right way to go. It’s a strategy worth at least trying. Also, Boston has to take care of the ball. The Celtics are only 1-6 in games where they turn the ball 15 or more times this postseason. Conversely, if they limit their turnovers to 14 or less, they’re 13-2.
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Given what’s at stake, Game 5 should be an extremely competitive contest. I gravitate toward Boston for its uncanny ability to consistently bounce back from losses. This is how our panel of experts sees it.
How to watch game 5 live
- Game: NBA Finals Game 5
- Date: Monday 13 June | 9 p.m. ET
- Location: Chase Center—San Francisco, California
- TV: ABC | Live broadcast: fuboTV (Access now)
- Opportunities: BOS +145; GS-170; O/U 212 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Featured Game | Golden State Warriors vs. Boston Celtics
Celtics vs. Warriors Prediction, Game 5 Picks
Bill Rider: The Celtics are younger, more athletic, deeper, better on defense and have had a remarkable streak of resilience and top-flight basketball since they turned their season around in late January. But they don’t have Stephen Curry. And as we saw in Game 4, they can’t stop him either. Klay Thompson has found some footing, Kevon Looney has been absolutely excellent in the late games of these finals and there is still time for Draymond Green to make the impact we were all expecting. But that’s just noise serving as background music to the fact that Curry is a historically great player, and like in Boston a few nights ago, he won’t let his team lose Game 5, regardless of his supporting cast. Selection: Golden State -3.5 | Warriors 112, Celtics 107
Brad Botkins: I picked Boston to win in seven but it won’t win game 5. Curry is too hot and I think Klay, who’s had stretches where he seemed about to detonate, is making his way home. Draymond must be better. I bet on that. At this point in the series, I don’t think adjustments make that much of a difference. Few surprises remain. I’m curious how long Boston will keep falling on Curry (even as they strive to start higher), but if that changes it could ignite Green as a 4-on-3 playmaker, which in turn could be firing look at him defensively. That’s something to watch. Anyway, I think Golden State wins this time. Curry is now too much. Selection: Golden State -3.5 | Warriors 102, Celtics 95
James Herbert: Boston is the choice. This team recovers every time it loses, and more specifically, it recovers on offense. I expect this to look more like Game 3 than Game 4, especially when it comes to Jayson Tatum’s playmaking. (If I’m wrong about Steph going wild again, great!) Choice: Boston +3.5 | Celtics 114, Warriors 103
Michael Kaskey-Blomain: It is Yes, really It’s hard to pick against Steph Curry considering how well he performed on the series, but his supporting cast was inconsistent, to say the least. There’s only so much Curry can do, especially when Boston changes their defense to try and force the ball out of Curry’s hands, and it’s hard to trust the guys around him to get the job done at that point. Also, Boston has suffered an excellent loss this postseason as it has gone 7-0 in such situations. Jayson Tatum, in particular, stepped up his game after the Boston losses and can be expected to do the same in Game 5. Choice: Boston +3.5 | Celtics 106, Warriors 100
Sam Quinn: We’ve reached the point in the series where both teams know each other. We know what the rotations will be like. They learned each other’s playbooks. There aren’t many surprises here. Here’s the one thing we know pretty adamantly: Golden State can limit Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown…but there’s nothing Boston can do to stop Stephen Curry. Lots of other things can swing a game. Maybe the role players of a team make significantly more shots. Maybe a team comes to the line more often. There are no guarantees in the NBA Finals, but with four games on the books, I’ll take the one constant this series has given us: curry. Selection: Golden State -3.5 | Warriors 110, Celtics 101
Colin Ward-Henninger: Usually at this point in a Finals series, you can start throwing tactics and adjustments out the window, but that’s not necessarily the case here. Steve Kerr is still playing with rotations, and his decision to separate Draymond Green and Kevon Looney proved useful in Game 4. The Warriors’ halffield offense wasn’t good, even with Steph Curry’s exploits, but Jordan Poole appears to be turning a corner and they’ll likely get more from Otto Porter in Game 5. The Celtics have played well away and in losses, but Golden State knows how important it is to win this game on the way back to Boston. give me the warriors Selection: Golden State -3.5 | Golden State 109, Boston 105
Jasmine Wimbish: Steph Curry was electric in Game 4, but the Warriors needed his best to win. The production Golden State has gotten from the likes of Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins has been so contradictory, and even though it’s happening at the Chase Center, I still have a little more faith in the Celtics right now. I go with them to get the win. Choice: Boston +3.5 | Celtics 110, Warriors 105
