Warriors

The series is tied 2-2 ... for now. Here's what's going down at the Chase Center as the Celtics and Warriors take their talents back to the Bay for a ...

Jay-Z was in attendance on Monday. He was also at Chase Center for Game 1 of the Finals. -- Youngmisuk Meanwhile, Tatum, who has paid homage to Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan throughout the postseason, looked poised to drop 50, er -- was back on his GOAT vibes rocking a T-shirt with Tiger Woods on it. Boston managed to stick around in the game despite a generally awful offensive performance throughout the first half. That includes being outscored by 35 points in the two games back in Boston. Two things of note on the Warriors side: Andre Iguodala got some first quarter minutes that did not go well whatsoever. The Celtics outscored Golden State 35-24 in the third, which allowed Boston to cut what was a 12-point halftime deficit to one. The Warriors shot over 50 percent from the field. After knocking down a 3-pointer at the third-quarter buzzer, Jordan Poole walked to the corner of the court and screamed back at fans as they cheered him on. The early 2000s would be proud of this series. The combined score throughout the first four games was 422-421, with the Warriors holding the ever-so-slight advantage. Wiggs is making the game look easy. What was less obvious: How the latest installment of this fascinating series would play out.

The last two teams left in the NBA Finals have each won two games of their own, and heading into Game 5, there is value to cash in on still in this series.

I like the UNDER 211 here, and I loved it at 212 which is where I bet it. NBA Finals games have a tendency to get tighter as the series wears on, so I’m wondering if we may have seen our last 10+ point win. And a quick futures pick: There’s a narrative building that Jaylen Brown has been Boston’s best player. Williams asked to come out of the end of Game 4, looking a little hobbled. I like Golden State in Game 5. Here’s the script I had in mind going into the series: 2-2 after four games, the home team wins Games 5 and 6, and then Boston’s athleticism carries the day in a grindhouse of a Game 7. However, I bet this line when it was Warriors -3.5 and for some reason the spread moving (it was -4.5 for a while) worries me. So far, the Finals have gone more or less exactly as I had it scripted in my head. “That’s probably just bad execution, not the actual gameplan,” I thought. For starters, the impact Robert “Time Lord” Williams has for the Celtics. Anyone who’s been following them closely knows: Boston turned their season around when they landed on the way they use Williams on defence. It’s a tactic they have used against star perimeter players for years. Boston is 7-0 after a loss these playoffs.

Our experts try and predict what should be an extremely competitive Game 5.

Jasmyn Wimbish: Steph Curry was electric in Game 4, but the Warriors needed his absolute best to win. Jayson Tatum, in particular, has stepped his game up following Boston losses, and he can be expected to do the same in Game 5. The Warriors' half-court offense hasn't been good, even with Steph Curry's exploits, but Jordan Poole appears to be turning a corner and they'll likely get more from Otto Porter in Game 5. Colin Ward-Henninger: Usually at this point in a Finals series, you can start to throw tactics and adjustments out the window, but that's not necessarily the case here. Curry can only do so much, especially if Boston alters its defense to try to force the ball out of Curry's hands, and it's tough to trust the guys around him to get the job done at this point. But that's just noise serving as the background music to the fact that Curry is a historically great player, and, like in Boston a few nights ago, he's not going to let his team lose Game 5, regardless of his supporting cast. Brad Botkin: I picked Boston to win in seven, but it won't win Game 5. Michael Kaskey-Blomain: It's really tough to pick against Steph Curry given how well he's played in the series, but his supporting cast has been inconsistent to say the least. Curry's 43-point performance in Game 4 was a masterpiece, but Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole need to do more if the Warriors are going to win their fourth ring under Steve Kerr. Teams that win the fifth game of a best-of-seven series tied at 2-2 go on to win that series over 80 percent of the time. Bill Reiter: The Celtics are younger, more athletic, deeper, better on defense and on a remarkable run of resilience and top-notch basketball since turning their season around toward the end of January. But they don't have Stephen Curry. And, as we saw in Game 4, nor can they stop him. Perhaps trapping him and forcing the ball out of his hands is the way to go.