Celtics lead 2022 NBA Finals 2-1. Before Game 4, the Warriors face formidable numbers.

Game 3 winners in a tied Finals have won the series 82% of the time. FiveThirtyEight gives the Celtics an 88% title chance. ESPN ranks them 91.3.

Warriors aren't done. In the 2016 Western Conference Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, they overcome a 3-1 deficit. Stephen Curry isn't out until he's out.

Boston seems in charge. When their hold slipped throughout the postseason, the Celtics immediately made changes, regained their composure, and kept winning.

This pattern predates the playoffs. Boston was 50-50 in 2021-22. Simmons needed a "vacation" from the Celtics. Sporting News and FanNation want "change." Ime Udoka was upset. Many.

Players got used to Udoka's switch-heavy strategy. After December 1, Jayson Tatum's FG% soared. Derrick White was acquired Feb. 10. The rest of the season, Boston seemed unstoppable.

The Celtics' playoff identity has wavered occasionally, but never for long.

Kyrie Irving's 39 points helped the Nets keep Game 1 close. Boston assigned him to Marcus Smart (after it was split fairly evenly between Smart and Jaylen Brown in Game 1).

Kyrie averaged 15.3 points and shot 37.2% during the sweep. Tatum, Brown, and Grant Williams hampered Kevin Durant's game (he shot 38.6 percent from the field in the series).

Boston dropped Game 1 to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. The Celtics defended Giannis with Al Horford and Robert Williams III and took fewer mid-range shots

The Celtics bounced back from a Game 6 setback, took better care of the ball in Game 7, and overcame Jimmy Butler's production.

Boston keeps counterpunching on the grandest platform. Udoka has tinkered with his team's pick-and-roll drop coverage.

Boston keeps counterpunching on the grandest platform. Udoka has tinkered with his team's pick-and-roll drop coverage.

Celtics swarmed Draymond Green. Brown once waived off a ball screen to isolate Green.

Green's defence and lack of offence may force Warriors coach Steve Kerr to make a tough judgement. Series-wise, Green is -7. Plus-15 Kevon Looney leads the Warriors.

If so, Boston will respond as it has all postseason. Can Looney hold up against Horford and the Celtics' one-big lineups?

The Celtics have answered every question for months, and they can make their final opponent's unanswerable. This roster is brilliantly constructed.

Horford's versatility makes Boston's two-big lineup deceiving. Smart, Tatum, and Brown are positionless. Except for Payton Pritchard, their reserves (Pritchard, White, and Grant Williams) are versatile.

No league player checks more boxes. New, old. Big-wings. Defenses outside and within. Shooting. Two scorers. A star. It's easy to see why the Celtics have responded so well this postseason (they haven't lost consecutive games).

Curry is the series' best player, but it's hard to see him beating Boston (and has done).