The Boston Celtics missed a golden opportunity to close out the Miami Heat at home in Game 6. And now, they must beat the Heat on the road in a do-or-die Game 7, with the winner moving on to face the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.
Speaking of the Warriors, they could be getting some key defensive role players back at some point in the NBA Finals.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers have finally hired a new head coach after their disappointing season.
Read on below as SBOTOP shares the latest NBA 2022 news from around the league.
Jayson Tatum confident Celtics will win Game 7
Despite their disappointing 110-103 defeat to the Heat in Game 6, Jayson Tatum says he and the Celtics are still confident they can win Game 7 on the road and make it to the NBA Finals.
“Scale of 1 to 10?” Tatum asked with a smile. “Ten.
“I mean, it shouldn’t be any less than that, right? You know, it’s the last game. That’s what it’s all about. It’s a 10 out of 10 in my confidence level and the group.”
Tatum led the Celtics with 30 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists in Game 6, but he was outgunned by Heat star Jimmy Butler, who overcame his recent knee issues to drop 47 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists in 46 minutes.
Kyle Lowry, who had been a non-factor in the playoffs due to a hamstring injury, had by far his best game of the postseason with 18 points and 10 assists.
The Celtics have already won a Game 7 in this postseason as they knocked out the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks at home. But they will be on the road this time around, and the NBA 2022 betting odds have the top-seeded Heat favoured to win at home.
Celtics’ Smart, Williams, Heat’s Herro questionable for Game 7
As they have been for virtually the entire series, Celtics starters Marcus Smart and Robert Williams are both listed as questionable for Game 7. Similarly, Heat sixth man Tyler Herro, who has missed the last two games with a groin injury, is also questionable to play.
Smart, the NBA Defensive Player of the Year, has been dealing with several injuries that have seen him miss Games 1 and 4 of the series. He has played in the last two games, but he has struggled offensively, with just 19 points on 5-of-20 shooting in total.
Meanwhile, Williams has played in all but one of the games thus far in this series as he continues to play through a knee issue.
As for Herro, he has been a big loss for the Heat offensively. He averaged 20.7 points in the regular season en route to winning Sixth Man of the Year, and is the team’s third-leading scorer in the postseason with 13.5 points per game.
Warriors’ Payton, Iguodala expected to return for Finals
Gary Payton II is expected to return to the Golden State Warriors’ rotation at some point in the NBA Finals, Shams Charania and Anthony Slater of The Athletic report.
Payton could even be ready as early as Game 1 of the Finals, which will begin on Thursday, June 2.
Payton has not played since May 3, when he suffered a fractured elbow in Game 2 against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Having Payton back would be a huge boost to the Warriors’ defence as he is arguably the team’s best backcourt defender.
Aside from Payton, the Warriors are also expecting to have veteran Andre Iguodala available at some point during the NBA Finals. The 38-year-old has not played since the first round of the playoffs due to a troublesome neck injury.
Lakers hire Darvin Ham as new head coach
The Los Angeles Lakers have hired Darvin Ham as their new head coach, ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski reports.
Despite having no previous head coaching experience, Ham beat out the other two finalists – Terry Stotts and Kenny Atkinson – for the job and is set to sign a four-year contract with the Lakers, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
After a nearly decade-long playing career in the NBA, Ham has spent the last 11 years as an NBA assistant coach. He was a Lakers assistant from 2011-13 before joining up with Mike Budenholzer’s staff, first with the Atlanta Hawks, then with the Milwaukee Bucks. Ham was part of the Bucks’ coaching staff that won the NBA championship last season.
Lakers star LeBron James has hailed Ham’s hiring on social media, and the two will look to guide the Lakers back to the top after they went a disappointing 33-49 this season under Frank Vogel.
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