The pinnacle of the 2022 NBA season is just around the corner, and BetZillion is here to provide you with a free wagering preview and expert NBA betting picks with top odds courtesy of legal US sportsbooks.
They deserved it, but perhaps their run to the finals is not as impressive as that of Golden State, who eliminated the Grizzlies and made easy work of the Dallas Mavericks in the conference finals to take another swing at claiming the NBA Championship after 2 years.
There are a lot of storylines to follow here – will the Boston Celtics deliver and break away from the Los Angeles Lakers to become the most successful team in NBA history with 18 titles, or will Golden State claim their 4th title in 8 years?
But while the 2022 NBA finals promise to produce an exciting series no basketball fan should miss, it also offers plenty of excellent betting opportunities, some of which we will explore in our betting preview.
So without further ado, here is our coverage of the series, with top 2022 NBA finals betting tips and predictions with top NBA finals 2022 betting odds courtesy of the best bookmaker for basketball.
The Golden State Warriors vs. Boston Celtics odds show Boston Celtics as 11/8 underdogs and Golden State Warriors as 8/13 to win the championship. That sounds like a fair assessment, even though the current odds to win the NBA finals in 2022 look much different to how they did before the playoffs started.
Many sportsIn-play modeLive streaming25+ sportsSuperb bonusesEasy to useVIP programLive gamesMany bonusesMany bonuses24/7 supportMobile appsLive bettingMany sportsFast payoutsBut should the Warriors be priced as the favourites to win the championship, or do Boston Celtics stand a chance of upsetting Steph Curry and his crew?
We kick off our NBA Finals predictions for 2022 with a bet on Golden State Warriors to win the championship. The latest betting offers have them priced as the favourites so that we won’t be making much money on the straight bet, but there is a good reason why Golden State is expected to come out ahead.
Both teams are highly talented, but there is one big reason you could favour the Warriors: Boston Celtics’ injury concerns.
The Celtics outlasted Miami Heat in the conference finals, and they were the better team. However, they didn’t get through unscratched.
Marcus Smart might not be able to play the whole finals, as he was taking a beating in the playoffs, even missing a game against the Bucks and 2 against Miami with foot injuries. Derrick White did a fine job replacing him, but he will struggle against the Warriors, who will make sure to take advantage of the situation.
Besides Smart, Boston also has Robert Williams III, who is not at 100% and hasn’t been since his meniscus surgery. He has not looked like his former self, which was most notable in Game 7 against Miami.
That is highly concerning since Williams’ defensive effort is what transformed the Boston Celtics into real title contenders. And without him, they lost the key strength that helped them make it so far. Depending on how the situation with injuries plays out, it might be with making an in-play bet, so keep an eye out for the offer on your favourite in-play betting sportsbook, which might also offer live streaming of the finals.
We continue our NBA Finals betting tips with the Golden State Warriors to win the championship in 6 games. We noted that we like the Warriors’ chances to come out ahead better, but even though we firmly believe they’re the better team, the Boston Celtics are no slouches.
Yes, they have some serious concerns in the defensive department, but the Celtics are very resilient and capable of putting up a fight. Moreover, the Celtics’ overwhelming size is their biggest advantage, and it will cause some problems for the Warriors.
We will give the Celtics the benefit of the doubt and predict that they can win a couple of games, but as the injury concerns mount, the Warriors should take over and cruise to the trophy in 6 games.
Step Curry is the current favourite to win the 2022 NBA Finals MVP award at 10/11, which sounds fair, but we can’t look past Clay Thompson at 14/1, who comes off as an excellent longshot bet and a pick we are adding to our NBA finals 2022 predictions list.
Assuming the Warriors win the championship, Clay Thomson can claim the MVP award, especially if he can play as well as he did against the Grizzlies. He exploded in Game 5 against Memphis and scored 32 points on 8 for 16 from downtown.
Admittedly, he hasn’t been very consistent with that kind of performance, but a couple of good nights and an overall consistent showing in the finals count earn him the coveted award.
Is he the most likely player to win the MVP award? No, but at 14/1, he is a no-brainer pick for us, and our favourite longshot prediction should be on everyone’s Warriors vs Celtics betting tips sheet.
Golden State Warriors weren’t expected to make it far in the NBA playoffs, and very few NBA finals 2022 predictions had them reaching the conference finals, let alone making it to the finals. And yet, the Warriors are here, and not only that – the NBA finals odds 2022 have them priced as the favourites to win the championship.
Admittedly, Golden State Warriors’ road to the finals has not been as turbulent as Boston Celtics’, but their climb to the season’s final series is one for the history books. And that is mainly because very few people believed that Golden State Warriors would ever make it so far following their failed attempt to win the trophy in 2019.
They went through a rough patch over the following 2 years, but thanks to Curry and Draymond Green and the sudden emergence of Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole, the Warriors became title contenders once again.
Perhaps the most impressive fact about the Warriors’ road to the finals is that the team was without Curry and Draymond to kick off the playoffs, facing the prospect of getting eliminated very early. Yet even with a fairly untrusted roster, the Warriors found their groove very soon and defeated Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies and completely overhauled Dallas Mavericks.
Golden State Warriors’ run to the 2022 NBA finals was imposing. If you aren’t sure why the Warriors vs. Celtics odds for NBA finals 2022 have them priced as the favourites, you only need to look back and see the quality of the teams and the matter in which the Warriors beat them.
Boston Celtics’ road to the NBA finals was quite interesting but very impressive. Not many NBA Finals predictions 2022 had Celtics reaching the final, let alone winning the title, but the Boston squad showed up when it mattered the most.
Looking further back at the regular season, the Boston Celtics were 25-25 at the end of January. Still, then something clicked, and they transformed into one of the most dominant teams in the Eastern Conference, which eventually led them to the season’s finals series.
Many believed they would slip against the stacked Brooklyn Nets, but Boston Celtics crushed Kevin Durant and co. in the first round of the playoffs 4-0. And they did not stop there.
Although Boston had to dig deep to eliminate Milwaukee Bucks in the second match of the playoffs, they have done it in 7 series to book a meeting with Miami Heat, who cruised through their bracket with wins against Atlanta Hawks (4-1) and Philadelphia 76ers (4-2).
Against Miami, Boston seemed to have things under control before they choked in Game 6 to give Miami another chance to reach the NBA final on their home court. It was a dicey affair, but the Boston Celtics pulled through, proving what history has already taught us – Celtics are very tough to beat and one of the most resilient teams in the league.
Yet their biggest test stands ahead of them as the Boston Celtics take on the hot Golden State Warriors for a shot at its 18th NBA title. Many Warriors vs Celtics predictions suggest that the Warriors will be a tough nut to crack and likely too much to handle for the Celtics.
But we have said the same thing when the Celtics faced the Nets, the Bucks, and Miami Heat. And yet they proved us wrong and emerged as a winner in all 3 series.
The 2022 NBA Finals will kick off on Thursday, June 2, with the opening match of the series at 9:00 ET. The league has already revealed the dates of the 7 games, which will stretch until Sunday, June 19, albeit the finals can already end on Friday, June 10, assuming one of the teams wins the first four games.
We end our final NBA Finals 2022 predictions with a prop bet on 2 road wins in the finals at 7/4. This season, the Warriors have won a road game in every playoff series, whereas the Celtics have not lost back-to-back games, meaning we could be in for a competitive ending to the season.
At 7/4, this also makes a bet on 2 road wins a no-brainer pick, given the team’s performances and trends this playoff.
Prediction: 2 road wins in Finals – 7/4
And just like that, we end our free betting preview of the 2022 NBA finals, providing you with expert picks and all the information you will need to make a smart wager on the final series of the 2022 NBA season.
Before you make your bets, make sure that you visit the best online bookmakers, take advantage of the top sports betting odds, and keep an eye out on the latest betting offers such as odds boosts and Acca bonuses.
