Boston Celtics’ star guard Kyrie Irving stated that the Celtics have the roster and talent to compete with the best of the NBA. In a recent interview, Irving confidently said his Celtics could dethrone the Golden State Warriors.

The Boston Celtics were just one game away from reaching the NBA Finals last season, even with Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward injured their entire playoff run. With the Celtics back and healthy, Irving expects nothing less than winning the 2018-19 NBA title.

In a recent interview with ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan, Irving expressed the confidence he has in his team’s chances of taking down the two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors.

“Can we beat Golden State in a seven-game series? Yes,” Irving told MacMullan. “Because of who we have and what we’re establishing here, not just for this season, but hopefully for the next few years, something that’s pretty special.”

Everyone knows the NBA championship goes through the Warriors. They’ve won three of the last four NBA titles and their roster is loaded. They have two former MVP winners in Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, a former Defensive Player of the Year in Draymond Green, along with sharp-shooter Klay Thompson and head coach Steve Kerr leading the way. However, Irving believes if his Celtics are healthy, they are the team to beat.

On paper, the Celtics can match up with anyone.

Not only will Irving and Hayward make their return but the Celtics’ young players in Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum will likely take another step forward this year. Boston also possesses key elements such as last year’s No. 1 defense and arguably the deepest bench in the NBA. To top it off, Boston has head coach Brad Stevens.

With LeBron James residing in the Western Conference now, it’s the Celtics’ Eastern Conference now to lose. A collision course between the Celtics and Warriors seems more than likely.

And if there’s one person the Warriors don’t want to face in the Finals, it’s Irving. Irving’s game-clinching shot in game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals is the reason the Warriors are not 4-time NBA champions.

“I’ve played against Golden State in three straight Finals (2015-17), and seeing them evolve, with the talent they have, and then adding DeMarcus Cousins this offseason, it’s like ‘OK, the whole league is on notice,” Irving told MacMullan. “But there’s one factor that they’re aware of, and I’m aware of, and that’s that I’ve seen them up close. I’ve played them so many times. We’ve gone in a seven-game series when I was in Cleveland, so I know what it takes.”