SAN FRANCISCO — The NBA Finals kick off on Thursday in San Francisco as the Golden State Warriors look to win their fourth NBA title since 2015 and the Celtics look for their first since 2008.
To preview the NBA Finals, the Locked On Sports Today podcast brought in a special guest who knows a little something about playing in the NBA Finals, and that’s 7-time champion Robert Horry. Horry won two with the Rockets, three with the Lakers and two with the Spurs in his career.
While Horry, who grew up a Lakers fan and played with the Lakers for several years is by no means a Celtics fan, he likes the underdog’s chances in this years championship series.
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“The smart people know, defense wins championships,” Horry told host Peter Bukowski on Locked On Sports Today. “If you look at the Celtics, they have two players on that team that made the all defensive team. Smart, of course defensive player of the year but Robert Williams is also an eraser, a shot blocker, who can erase mistakes made on the perimeter…Al Horford as well, he’s blocking shots and playing big inside.”
While the Warriors have one of the NBA’s best defenders in Draymond Green, Horry still gives the Celtics the edge defensively.
“Overall the Celtics are the better defensive team,” Horry said. “Even though they have Draymond Green, Klay Thompson is not the Klay Thompson of old, who can do the things he used to be able to do. That’s a big key in this series.”
How will the Celtics defend Steph Curry?
“I don’t think it’s going to be a one man job on Steph,” Horry said. “The Celtics 1-2-3 are all athletic guys and I think this is a great matchup for the Celtics. You know Klay is going to be constantly moving. Not the same as a Jimmy Butler or Tyler Herro. But what the Celtics had to handle with the Heat I think was a good prelude for them.”
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Horry’s NBA Finals pick
“All my Lakers fans are going to be mad at me. I’m not rooting for the Celtics, although I would like to see my former teammate (Celtics head coach) Ime Udoka with a championship,” Horry said. “I just think from a basketball Celtics there’s a good chance the Celtics can win this thing.”
Would a Finals win confirm the Warriors are a dynasty?
“You have been on these teams that have gone on multi-year runs that we would consider dynastic,” host Peter Bukowski said. “If the Warriors win one, because it’s the Steph, Klay, Draymond core with Steve Kerr, do we have to call them a dynastic team?”
“I would put them in there as a dynasty probably soon,” Horry said. “They had those injuries over those two years, but if they’re able to get back to the mountaintop and win another one here and then can get back to the Finals again, I’ll give them a dynasty. To me, there’s only been three dynasties and that’s the Bulls, Celtics and the Lakers. In this era, I can give them a dynasty.”
Tune into Wednesday’s Locked On Sports Today podcast to hear the full conversation with Horry!