Why Warriors believe Boston is their toughest potential NBA Finals matchup

BOSTON — “Can we beat Golden State in a seven-game series? Yes.”

Those 11 words from Boston point guard Kyrie Irving, found in the middle of a 1,000-word article on ESPN.com, quickly went viral in September, prompting many to deride his hubris. The reasoning was simple: The Irving-led Celtics were the Eastern Conference favorite, but surely they weren’t ready to dethrone the Warriors — not after they had added four-time NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins.

Four months removed from that polarizing assertion, Irving finally has Boston looking like the burgeoning juggernaut many had envisioned.