The NBA Conference Finals are underway, and the teams that made it through are a little different from what LZ and Will had predicted: In the East, it’s the Miami Heat versus the Boston Celtics. In the West, the Golden State Warriors square off against the Dallas Mavericks.
Will and LZ both thought the Bucks would come out of the East but they got that wrong with a round to spare. They did, however, pick Golden State to win the West, and that bet is still alive.
LZ and Will recorded this episode of The Long Game hours before Game 1, in which the Boston Celtics lost to the Miami Heat to kick off this round of competition. But LZ thinks the Celtics have what it takes to win it all, either this year or soon: “Brad Stevens was able to get them to a certain place much faster than anyone predicted, particularly considering he had never coached in the NBA before. LZ thinks whoever wins the East will go on to take the title, given that these two teams are “the two mentally toughest teams remaining.”
Will agrees the Celtics, especially, are looking good. But turning to the West, he has a case of “Golden State fever,” even though they should have been more convincing in dispatching the Memphis Grizzlies. “If the Warriors are going, I don't see how Dallas can stop them.”
In the end, both Will and LZ are leaning toward an edition of the NBA Finals between the Celtics and Warriors.
