Jayson Tatum's Celtics Can Give Steph's Warriors Fits LeBron's Cavs Couldn't

Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors have seen a lot. They have played by far the most high-stakes series and squared off with the widest variety of superstars and would-be dethroners during their six Finals trips in eight years.

They have never seen anything like these Boston Celtics.

Every playoff series is different. The history of the Warriors prepared them for every step.

The Dubs successfully applied many of the lessons they learned from facing Gasol in the 2015 West semifinals, despite the fact that Jokic is on a level all his own.

When the Warriors faced Gasol's old Memphis Grizzlies in the second round, they had to wrangle a dynamic, game-changing point guard in Ja Morant. That might have made a less experienced team think twice about playing Golden State in the Western Conference Finals.

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Warriors are giving Ja Morant the same playoff treatment they gave to prime Russell Westbrook in 2016 https://t.co/gt9U03dLz6

Morant didn't have four-time scoring champion Kevin Durant at his side.

Memphis went big and relied on its defense in the last part of the series. The old 2015 Grizzles were bigger and more physical than the modern version, so Golden State adjusted and advanced. The Warriors core and coaching staff were given a primer on how to handle a massive size and athletic disadvantage by the OKC frontcourt.

Luka Doncic arrived in the conference finals. Four years ago, Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, and head coach Steve Kerr eliminated a more lethal version of that team. James Harden and a switch-happy defense pushed Golden State to the brink, but not over it.

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Luka reminds Steve Kerr of peak James Harden 👀 @kevinarnovitz on how the Warriors can handle Doncic on @ESPNPlus ✍️ https://t.co/IIiH1jhZUo https://t.co/xoxzU2Wuqd

The Warriors have taken three out of four Finals from the likes of James, which is perhaps the greatest test-prep tool of them all. A squad that survives the tactical brilliance and physical onslaught of James can confidently face off with anyone.

The Warriors core went toe to toe with the best of the league during their five consecutive trips to the Finals. They derailed a potential dynasty in Oklahoma City, turned Grit and Grind to dust in Memphis, prevented Harden from one-man-showing his way to a ring in Houston and denied James the extra titles that would have put the GOAT debate to bed.

What could the Celtics possibly offer that Golden State hasn't seen before?

Start with the numbers.

The net rating for Boston was a plus-7.4. That is not the best full-season figure these Warriors have faced. The 2016 Thunder and the 2018 Rockets both had a plus-8.4.

We know that the overall statistics don't give an accurate picture of the Celtics as they exist today. Marcus Smart took over the point on a full-time basis after head coach Ime Udoka's schemes sank in and this team got off to a stumbling start.

The Celtics ran up an obscene plus-12.7 net rating after January 1st, dwarfing anything the Warriors have ever achieved.

The Warriors have never seen a wing punch like Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. They are the result of Golden State forcing opponents to have as many two-way, weakness-free wings as possible. The key to defending the Warriors attack has always been those. The Dubs have yet to face a combination of youth and experience that the Tatum-Brown duo brings. They already have seven conference finals berths between them.

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Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are the 2nd pair of Celtics teammates to each score 30+ points in back to back team games, joining Larry Bird and Kevin McHale (January 6-8, 1988). https://t.co/mh32TEaQIy

If you are a Warriors supporter, the real novelty is not there. Boston is an amalgam of many of the top teams Golden State has seen over the years.

The Celtics had the best defense in the league. The Warriors have survived elite individual defenders in the past, but never a group with that distinction in the Finals. Marcus Smart is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year and is the ideal weapon to set against Curry, Thompson, Jordan and anyone else with designs on scoring.

This will be the first time that Golden State and one of its players will face each other in the playoffs. Smart gives his team the best chance to stop the Warriors because of his trio of mobile bigs.

The Warriors have historically been given fits by the Celtics' switch scheme. The Celtics use the NBA's switch-heaviest approach because they are great at it.

According to Kevin Pelton, no other team switched more frequently than the Celtics during the regular season.

The Celtics have the heft of past teams like the Memphis and Oklahoma City, the pick-and-roll-crippling switchability of the Houston team, and no weak points.

The power of the Celtics was never in doubt despite the intimidating dominance of the Cleveland team. The best defense in Cleveland during its repeat dates with the Warriors was ranked as low as 29th.

The Warriors faced new challenges to build their resume. Russ and KD were the only ones who had a plan to beat the Harden-led Harden team. The novelty of the Celtics doesn't make them unbeatable, and we should expect Golden State to locate and attack pressure points like the Celtics, which bogged down late and nearly cost it the series against the Miami Heat.

The Warriors finished second in defensive efficiency to the Celtics this year, which means they will still have a chance to succeed even if Smart and Co. put the clamps on.

The Kerr-era Dubs will head into their sixth Finals with a lot of experience, yet they could quickly find themselves searching for answers that their past can't provide.

Boston could be seen as a new threat or a combination of old and familiar ones. The Warriors are in for a fight unlike any they have seen before.

NBA.com, Basketball Reference Cleaning and the Glass provided the statistics. Through the 22nd season. Spotrac has salary info.