Draymond Green is one of the most outspoken players in the NBA, so when he gets the chance to express himself at length, rather than in a rapid-fire press conference setting, he’s always worth a listen. He sat down for Adrian Wojnarowski’s podcast, and among the topics covered was if Green still feels the sting of the Warriors’ blown 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals. His answer? A shocking “no,” thanks to Kevin Durant.
It ate away at me for a while, and then I think on July 4… It’s like, “Man, this sucks.” And then I got a call from [Kevin Durant’s manager] Charlie Bell saying, “Let’s go win some championships.”
And I said, “Oh, all right, there goes those feelings. We got Kevin Durant out of the deal, I’ll be just fine.” You know, it ate away at me until about then. And then it was like a silver lining. Well, would have been great to win this championship, but the possibly of Kevin Durant and how many more championships we can win? We’ll be fine.
Much has been made about the insane concentration of talent in Golden State now, and how we could see a level of basketball previously thought impossible, but that thinking downplays how the Warriors were already the best regular season team ever before Durant arrived. Then again, it’s easy to understand that 73 wins might be diminished in retrospect because the Warriors couldn’t close the deal in the end.
Dray’s ability to let go of the stinging defeat betrays how confident the Warriors are that they can win titles with their current assemblage of talent, and although they’re beginning to round into something approaching how could they can ultimately be, nothing is guaranteed in the NBA. If fate intervenes and prevents these Warriors from hanging a banner, Green might want to eat his words.
(Via The Vertical podcast)
