The NBA Finals Are Here – Who’s Tipped to Win?

And then there were two. After a long playoff stretch, the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics are the final fighters in the arena. The Finals begin on Thursday and will pit the league’s two best teams against each other. It will undoubtedly be a fantastic Finals series. Will the Warriors return as kings on the throne, or is this the start of a new Celtics dynasty?

No one believed the Warriors would return to the NBA Finals four years removed from their last one. That last title was won with the help of Kevin Durant, who now dons the black and white of the Brooklyn Nets. A lot has happened in those four years. Klay Thompson missed the most part of the past few seasons, and with injuries to Curry and Draymond Green, they were no longer relevant.

Until this season, it all clicked perfectly for the Warriors, with the squad at full strength. Thompson returned mid-season and showed that he's still got it, and Curry had a fantastic season, crowned with an All-NBA Second Team appearance. The Warriors defeated the Nuggets 4-1 in the first round, then faced a stern test against the Grizzlies. They dismantled Memphis 4-2, then beat the Luka Doncic-led Mavs 4-1.

The Warriors enter the Finals healthy and well-rested, so it's no wonder that bookies have them as favourites. With the experience Curry, Thompson, Green, and coach Kerr have on their backs, they are a step in front of the Celtics.

The Boston Celtics have had a bad start to the season, only to find their form after the All Star break. They were great in that stretch and almost earned the top spot in the Eastern Conference. In the Playoffs, they swept the heavily-favoured Nets, ousted champions Milwaukee Bucks in a seven-game thriller, and then won against the Heat in another thriller.

The last series battered down the Celtics as the Heat are very physical. But the Celtics persevered, led by the impeccable Jayson Tatum, the NBA's latest superstar. They will need him and Jaylen Brown at their best in the Finals, and they'll need the defence and leadership of Al Horford and Marcus Smart. Injuries are a concern for the Celtics after two tough series in the Playoffs, but these are young players hungry for titles.

Warriors in 6. Why? Well, the combined Finals appearances of the Warriors' squad is 123 games compared to the Celtics' 0. We're not kidding – no Celtic has appeared in the Finals before. That, along with the rest Golden State had in the past week while the Celtics played gruelling matches against the Heat, will be the deciding factor for the Finals.

Stephen Curry has had an almost MVP-like season, and Klay is just…well, Klay. He can score 60 with 10 three pointers any night on the court. If Draymond's antics don't cost the team too much, we see the Warriors beating the Celtics in 6. Better luck next time for Tatum, but make no mistake – the Celtics will be back in the Finals soon, regardless of this outcome.