Entire ESPN pregame panel picks Warriors over Celtics in NBA Finals

How can Celtics beat Warriors? Defense, defense, defense

BOSTON -- Unanimity is rare these days. But the members of the ESPN pregame show were able to find it on Thursday night.

Just before the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors tipped off, the five-person panel took turns making their series predictions. And the quintet was unswayed by two separate data models giving the Celtics a major edge, with all four of them picking Golden State to beat Boston.

Jalen Rose and Stephen A. Smith picked the Warriors in seven. Michael Wilbon, Mike Greenberg and Magic Johnson had the Warriors winning in six.

Nobody had the Celtics.

The predictions probably aired too close to tip time to get in front of the Celtics' eyes prior to Game 1. But with teams seeking motivation from all corners of the universe on stages like this one, the Celtics are likely to catch wind of those predictions sooner than later. 

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