The 2022 NBA champions will either be the Boston Celtics or Golden State Warriors as they face off in the finals, but how is home court advantage determined for the best of seven series?
It will either be an 18th NBA title for the Celtics or a seventh for the Warriors as they prepare to do battle in the 2022 NBA Finals.
The Celtics overcame the Miami Heat in a thrilling 4-3 Eastern Conference finals series while the Warriors had a more comfortable time dispatching the Dallas Mavericks 4-1.
The teams are set, and so are the venues with Steve Kerr’s Warriors enjoying home court advantage through the NBA Finals – with four planned games at the Chase Center.
But how is home court advantage decided for the NBA Finals – and why do the Warriors have it over the Celtics.
NBA FINALS SCHEDULE
The NBA Finals, like the rest of the NBA Playoffs is a best of seven series – meaning the first team to win four matches, wins the title.
The first four games are guaranteed games, with home court advantage in the NBA Finals split between the two teams – each having two games.
NBA Finals 2022
Game 1 – Thursday 2nd June – Celtics@ Warriors
Game 2 – Sunday 5th June – Celtics@ Warriors
Game 3 – Wednesday 8th June – Warriors@ Celtics
Game 4 – Friday 10th June – Warriors@ Celtics
Game 5 – Monday 13th June – Celtics@ Warriors – if needed
Game 6 – Thursday 16th June – Warriors@ Celtics – if needed
Game 7 – Sunday 19th June – Celtics@ Warriors – if needed
In the regular season matches between the two sides, the away team won both times.
The Warriors earned a 111-107 win in Boston in December 2021, while the Celtics returned the favour in California 110-88 in March.
HOW HOME COURT ADVANTAGE IS DECIDED IN NBA FINALS
Much like in the NBA Playoffs, home court advantage in the NBA Finals is determined by which of the two teams boasts the best regular season record.
In 2021-22, the Warriors had a better record in the regular season – just.
They went 53-29 for the season in their 82 games, finishing third to the Phoenix Suns and Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference.
Over in the Eastern, the Celtics actually finished second to the Miami Heat – but had a slightly inferior record to the Warriors.
The Celtics went 51-31 for the regular season – the same as the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers.
The superior regular season record of Kerr’s side hands them home court advantage for the NBA Finals – meaning they could play four games on their own court – including a potential game 7 title decider.
