Why Do the Warriors Have Home Court Advantage in the 2022 NBA Finals?
Published June 2 2022, 4:37 p.m. ET
This is not a drill — the 2022 NBA Finals are finally here!
It's been quite the lengthy and intense journey, but the stage (basketball court, in this instance) is officially set for the Golden State Warriors and the Boston Celtics to battle it out for the title and that oh-so beautiful Larry O'Brien championship trophy.
Ahead of Game 1, many fans can't help but ask: Why do the Warriors have home court advantage? Keep reading to find out!
Why do the Warriors have home court advantage?
The Warriors are striving for their seventh championship, and it seems the odds are in their favor since they have been blessed with the greatest gift of all: home court advantage.
But wait, how is that possible? The Celtics are the higher seed and should be hosting the game, so what the heck is going on?!
Well, this is where it gets interesting; rather than determining the home team through rankings, the NBA Finals take each team's regular season record into account. And, since the Warriors finished 53-29 — just two games more than the 51-31 Celtics — they automatically receive home court advantage.
Now Celtics fans, there's no need to panic!
Although Games 1, 2, and 5 are at Chase Center in San Francisco, the series will head to TD Garden for Games 3, 4, and 6.
Steph Curry believes this NBA Finals run will be much different.
Prior to Game 1 of the 2022 NBA Finals, the Warriors met with the media to discuss the upcoming game and how they would take on the Celtics. During his interview, three-time NBA champion Steph Curry was asked what separates the 2022 NBA Finals run from the six he and his teammates have experienced in the past.
"Just the context of the last four years," Steph revealed to the press. "From Game 6 of the 2019 Finals to now, everything that we went through as a team. Certain guys individually with injuries. Obviously, the pandemic that's happened over the last two and a half years. Everything that we all went through with this as the ultimate goal of getting back on this stage, the chance to play for another championship."
"Klay coming off of unreal rehab journey. [I] broke my hand. Draymond was injured with a bunch of different stuff. We had a lot of young guys coming into the fold and trying to reclaim our chemistry as a core, but also get those guys up to speed in how they can help us and help impact winning," Steph continued.
He concluded, "Then you know, you look up, and all the work that you put in over the last two years has paid off, built on the experience and just the veteran presence that we have. So, all that stuff is just built into the context of what's happened since Game 6 of the 2019 Finals, and we're back here. So it's pretty special."
Who are you rooting for? Are you "Gold-Blooded" or do you "Bleed Green"? Let us know!