CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – It could be debated which was colder Saturday morning – the air outside the Wolstein Center in downtown Cleveland or the reception Draymond Green received during NBA All-Star practice.
Green, who is unable to participate this weekend due to a lower back injury that has kept him out since early January, was serenaded with a thick chorus of boos while he was interviewed on the floor prompting a playful response from the Warriors small forward.
“I only beat yo a-- three times,” Green quipped after grabbing the microphone. “Why you be mad??? You should be happy.”
The response only caused the booing to intensify and Green to laugh.
Green is used to playing the role of antagonist, especially in Cleveland where he helped the Warriors beat the Cavs three times in four years in the NBA Finals, but it was the 2016 Finals that saw Cleveland rally from 3-1 down to win their first NBA championship which prompted Green to recruit Kevin Durant from Oklahoma City to save him from LeBron James and the Cavs after the teams split their first two Finals series.
During his media day availability Green struck a much more serious, and complimentary tone when he was asked which team has surprised him the most this season.
“I think the biggest surprise team to me is Cleveland, for sure,” Green said. “I don't think anyone expected them to be this good, and they're really putting it together. I think, obviously, in finding a young star in Darius Garland, who is leading the charge, Evan Mobley.
“They have a great young group of guys that -- they're putting it together now, but they're going to be good for years to come.”
The Cavs, led by their two All-Stars, are 35-23 at the All-Star break and seeded fourth in the Eastern Conference.
Listen to Bay Area sports talk now on Audacy and shop the latest Warriors team gear
Cleveland’s rebuild in the second post-LeBron era, is bearing fruit and also resembling how Green’s Warriors were built – through the draft – and led to a mini dynasty.
Could the Cavs, who haven’t made the playoffs without LeBron James on the roster since the 1997-98 season when they went 47-35, be on their way to their own despite being so young and inexperienced?
“I think I've won a championship on an inexperienced team,” Green said. “We won a championship my third year. The majority of us were going into that playoffs 15 to 20 playoff games in our career and we were able it win a championship. So I don't view the inexperience as a problem.
“One thing about inexperience is when you go in those situations, you are unfazed because you really don't understand how big that moment is. So you're kind of just going into it like it's another game. You can use inexperience to your advantage as well.”
Related
