A tyrant. A menace. Unbelievable leader. Great teammate. Once in a generation defender. These are what describes Draymond Green the fire to potentially the last great dynasty in NBA history. His unique ability to guard 1-5 was the anchor of the Warriors consistent top 5 defense. And his special court vision and passing unleashed the most explosive offense in NBA history. But with the fire and passion came along with antics that compared him to Dennis Rodman and Bill Laimbeer. Which unfortunately resulted in costing the Warriors 2 titles and unquestioned claim as the greatest dynasty in NBA history.
2016: Game 4 Of The NBA Finals
Throughout NBA history when a finals or series is evenly matched generally Game 4 of the series ends up being the best. This is because of the intensity of a team avoiding going down 3-1. What people may have forgotten is this was the great Steph Curry game that was forgotten. He finished the game with 38 points including big dagger 3s in the 4th quarter to pull away. That gave the Warriors a dagger into the hearts of Cleveland fans everywhere.
With 2 minutes left in the game Draymond sets a screen on LeBron that would change NBA history forever.
The Step Over
LeBron annoyed and pissed that he is about to lose the crucial Game 4 and go down 3-1 with 2 of the next 3 in Oakland, knocks down Draymond and steps over him. Green, with tremendous pride and fire coming from a place in Michigan where the nickname is “Sagnasty”, takes issue with LeBron stepping over him and hands swipe at his groin, hitting James in a place no man wants to be hit. The two get into where the refs and teammates try to break them up.
Between Game 4 and Game 5 all of the sports shows and fans everywhere debated whether Green should be suspended for the potential series clinching game. What people forgot is because of Green’s antics of kicking resulted in him having 6 technicals this postseason and a 7th would result in an automatic suspension of a game. The league handed out a tech and Draymond Green was suspended for Game 5.
Now we know what happens next. LeBron and Kyrie go on the greatest 3 game stretch since Shaq and Kobe claiming Cleveland’s first sports title in over 50 years. But what also gets lost in history is what Draymond did in the “got to have it”, “winner takes all Game 7” in that series.
Game 7 2016 NBA Finals
The sad part of this is Green delivered a Game 7 performance for the ages. 32 points, 15 rebounds, 9 assists. That’s right! With his back to the wall and knowing that he might’ve cost his team, Green gave a performance of the lifetime. Unfortunately for the Warriors Bogut broke his leg in Game 5 and Andre Iguodala was dealing with severe back spasms. Add to that the fact that the Warriors being unable to find that 5th guy to bail out the atrocious shooting performance of Steph and Klay. That has now left Green holding the mantle of scapegoat for the reason we didn’t see history made.
Now Green isn’t absolved from criticism because if he doesn’t give life to a Cavaliers team then the Warriors complete the greatest season in NBA history. Plus giving Curry, Klay, Steve Kerr and Draymond himself are in the midst of separating themselves amongst the great dynasty in sports history.
Instead Green becomes the poster boy of when fire and passion can become problematic in the worse possible time.
Los Angeles November 2018
But not all was loss in the summer of 2016. As Green himself put it, “if blowing a 3-1 lead led to us getting Kevin Durant I’ll do that every time.”
So now fast forward to November of 2018. The Warriors are coming off back to back titles and are playing the Clippers, a once proud rivalry turned to utter disappointment. But on this night something was different in the air. The Warriors and specifically Kevin Durant had soured on his time in the Bay due to the consistent outside chatter and criticism of him ring chasing. Durant was due to be an upcoming free agent that offseason and within the building felt he was going to leave to NY and play for the Knicks.
Draymond Green vs Kevin Durant
The Warriors are in a back and forth nail bitter with the lowly Clippers but have a chance to win the game after a defensive stop. Green grabs the ball off the rim and what he does so many times sprints up the court so that he can set a brush screen to the lethal trio of Curry, Klay or Durant. But seen clapping his hands in the backcourt was Durant demanding and pleading for the ball. Green tries to dribble through traffic and ends up tripping and losing the basketball. That resulted in no basket and the game going to overtime.
We will never know if Green just kept that comment to himself whether Durant would’ve truly stayed. But what is without a doubt a fact is the comment made Durant realized that he was never going to get the credit within the building he rightfully deserved. Now what truly showed the greatness of the Warriors during that Durant era is the only thing that could truly stop them was a Klay Thompson Torn ACL and a Kevin Durant torn Achilles in the NBA Finals. Barring those injuries they become the 3rd team since the merger to win 3 straight NBA championships.
September 2022: A Punch Heard Around The World
When Durant left the summer of 2019, the next 2 years were brutal for Draymond as Steph and Klay dealt with season long injuries in 2020. This resulted in the Warriors having the 2nd worst record in the entire league. Then despite utter brilliance in 2021 by Steph Curry, the Warriors failed to make the playoffs. This was thanks to losing in the play-in tournament to the Lakers and Grizzlies.
So as they entered the following the season the thought of deep playoff runs in May and June were a long memory. But thanks to the core toughness, stability and experience of the trio of Steph, Klay and Green, the Warriors shocked the world and win their 4th title. So coming into the next season, the one for the thumb became a theme and focus for the team. But with looming contracts of Green, Poole and Klay on the horizon a hostile practice and sucker punch sank the dream of that goal.
Draymond Green vs Jordan Poole
Now Jordan Poole, who is struggling in Washington this season to the point where he’s more known for his Shaqtin a fool highlights than producing actual real ones, is no sympathetic figure. He won’t get the support of fans and media. But once again Green being the leader of this team and the emotional spark and fire allowed his emotions to get the better of him.
The punch creates a divide between the core veteran of the dynasty and the new wave of young talent. Throughout the season the Warriors were an awful road team. They were unable to get over the incident that happened in training camp. Green was becoming a worse shooter and true offensive liability. Couple that with Klay Thompson’s regression and Poole’s poor shot selection and decision making, led Curry to carry the burden. It took a historic Game 7 performance from Curry in the first round against the Kings to win that series. But in the next round they were overwhelmed by the size and physicality of the Los Angeles Lakers. They fell in 6 games.
This past offseason Green signed a 4 year $100 million dollar contract. That basically locks him up as a Warrior for life. Also Jordan Poole was traded to the Wizards for Chris Paul.
Draymond’s Legacy
Whether he likes it or not history will look at Draymond Green indifferently. On one hand he is hands down without a doubt one of the greatest defenders the league has ever seen. Without Green, Steve Kerr is unable to unlock his motion offense where it unleashed the most dangerous and explosive offense we have ever seen. But on the other hand his consistent antics and dirty play leaves his team open and vulnerable to allow the opponent back in the game.
His poor shooting and reluctance of it creates more stress for Curry and Durant. This results in teams packing in the paint creating difficult shots for those guys to make. Green is a cross between Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman. An elite defender that can guard 1-5 while also having the ability to create offense with his passing and vision. Yet his antics and dirty play overshadow his greatness. This is to the point that it cost the Warriors 2 titles during their run.
But what we may have to come to accept that maybe Draymond himself has already realized. You need to take the good with the bad. Because if Draymond isn’t himself they win those 2 titles but maybe that means they don’t win the other 4.
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