By Muhammed Enes Calli
ANKARA (AA) - Starting Thursday the Boston Celtics will fight for their 18th NBA title in the 2022 final series against the Golden State Warriors, also hoping to claim the crown of the team with the most championship titles in NBA history.
After completing the regular season in second place with 51 wins and 31 defeats, the Celtics swept the Brooklyn Nets out of the playoffs in the first round with a 4-0 win in the series.
They also eliminated defending champions the Milwaukee Bucks with a thrilling 4-3 series victory, reaching the Eastern Conference finals.
The Celtics beat the top-seeded Miami Heat with the 4-3 series win to qualify for the NBA finals for the first time since 2010.
The Boston were the 2010 NBA finalists as they failed to beat the Los Angeles Lakers, losing 4-3.
Celtics star Jayson Tatum put in an impressive performance by averaging 27 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.2 steals during the playoffs.
Jaylen Brown played with 22.9 points and Marcus Smart averaged 15.5 points, leading the Celtics to the NBA Finals.
The Celtics won a total of 17 NBA titles in 21 finals, tying them with the Lakers for the most championship titles in NBA history.
The Eastern Conference franchise last brought home the trophy in 2008 after defeating the Lakers in the finals.
- Celtics vs. Warriors in playoffs
The Celtics and the Warriors will face off in the finals for the fifth time in playoff history.
The first matchup took place in the 1964 NBA Finals, with the Celtics achieving victory in five games.
Both sides also met in the 1962, 1960 and 1958 East Division finals as the Celtics won all series.
The 2022 NBA final series is kicking off with Game 1 at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Thursday.