SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green won't be mistaken for "Splash Brothers" Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson anytime soon, but the forward's first made 3-pointer of the NBA Finals on Thursday night ultimately proved to be an omen for the team winning its fourth NBA championship in eight seasons.
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The Warriors improved their record to 20-1 this season – and 256-92 in Green’s career, according to StatMuse – when the three-time All-Star makes at least one 3-pointer thanks to Green's first-quarter triple in Thursday's 103-90 Game 6 road victory over the Boston Celtics at TD Garden.
In other words, Golden State won 95.2% of those games this season en route to the organization's seventh NBA title, and the Warriors have won 73.6% of said games in the four-time champion's career.
Green missed his first 3-point attempt with the Warriors trailing 14-7 midway through the first quarter, knocking down his second try in the middle of a game-changing run with 1:20 remaining in the frame. Golden State regained the lead 24 seconds later and never trailed again, ending the quarter on a 20-6 run after Green missed his first triple.
He added another 3 in the second half, improving the Warriors' playoff record to 35-7 – and their all-time record to 119-24 – when Green makes multiple threes in a single game.
Back in April, the last time Green made two 3-pointers in one night, the 32-year-old said he relished the thought of defenses leaving him open from beyond the arc.
"I love that," Green said at the time (via NBC Sports Bay Area’s Dalton Johnson). "It's about that time of year where I start shooting 40 (percent) from three."
The 32-year-old finished the night with 12 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists, connecting on two of his five 3-point shots.
Entering Thursday's game, Green had made just 31.3% on 3-pointers in the regular season and playoffs during his decade in the NBA.
So when ABC play-by-play broadcaster Mike Breen quipped that Green was "feeling it after hitting one" before attempting his third 3-pointer of the night, color commentator Jeff Van Gundy felt he needed to correct the record.
"No, he's fired up, but he's not 'feeling it,' " Van Gundy retorted to his on-air colleague, noting that Green had missed each of his 3-pointers in these NBA Finals before Game 6.
"Fired up" or "feeling it," Green is once again a champion.
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