The Boston Celtics enter the NBA Finals as underdogs to the Golden State Warriors, but it's safe to say Marcus Smart believes his team has the upper hand. Why? Not just due to the fact Boston took a much more arduous path to the playoffs' last series than its opponent, but also because Smart believes a previous iteration of his team would've beaten an objectively superior version of Golden State.

During his February appearance on The Old Man And The Three, Smart confidently told host J.J. Redick the Celtics would've dethroned the defending-champion Warriors in 2018 had they been able to take down LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Reminder: Smart's comments came back at the All-Star break, long before the Celtics and Warriors were set to compete in the 2022 Finals. There's a reason his remarks barely blipped on the basketball radar three-and-a-half months ago, only to garner much more attention given current context. Smart wasn't criticizing Golden State as much as he was expressing typically brash confidence in Boston.

But it's also undeniable that his take doesn't stand up to unbiased scrutiny.

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The 2018 Celtics, remember, lost Game 7 of the Conference Finals at home to an undermanned Cavaliers team that James dragged to his eighth consecutive Eastern Conference crown. Boston has played the Warriors better than any other team in the league during the latter's ongoing run of historic success, but still would've struggled to defeat Kevin Durant, Steph Curry and that juggernaut Golden State squad. James and Cleveland, after all, fell to the Warriors by 60 total points in a four-game Finals sweep.

Golden State didn't need any bulletin board material before trying to win its fourth title in eight years. Regardless, don't be surprised if Smart's conveniently unearthed comments are discussed in the Warriors' locker room leading up to Game 1 on Thursday night.