Steph confident in Dubs to win Finals, but respects Celtics

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The 2022 NBA Finals matchup is officially set up: Steph Curry and the Warriors will take on Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics.

On Monday, Curry spoke to the media for the first time since the matchup was finalized and talked about his initial thoughts on facing Boston. 

“Obviously a great team, they’re in the Finals,” Curry said. “They’ve had a group together, gone through a lot in the last four, five years. Had some success early, had to figure out how to sustain it and now they’re here on this stage so it’ll be an amazing test.”

The Celtics will step foot on the big stage for the first time since their 2010 NBA Finals loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. 

Golden State, on the other hand, will make its sixth Finals appearance in eight years and look to get its fourth ring since 2015. 

Nonetheless, Curry and the Warriors know this young and confident Celtics squad made it here for a reason. 

Tatum is a three-time NBA All-Star at the age of 24, already doing things on the court that reassures fans the future of the NBA is in good hands. Oh and Marcus Smart, the 2022 NBA Defensive Player of the Year, helped lead Boston’s No. 1 rated defense all year and into the current playoff run. 

RELATED: Kerr explains why Smart is 'the guard version' of Draymond

But a little competition has never intimidated Curry, who remains confident in his team. 

“[They] got some guys playing at a really high level, very well-rounded team, they got the size,” Curry said. “We like the matchup in terms of confidence going in, knowing we can win, but there’s obvious respect in terms of what they present as a team. Tatum and [Jaylen] Brown are the heads of the snake, Marcus Smart does what he does, you got some vets, Al Horford who has been in the league a long time and in his first Finals appearance so I’m sure they’re motivated just like we are and we’re excited to get things going.”

The highly-anticipated 2022 NBA Finals begin Thursday night at Chase Center.

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