Draymond Green has his reputation as one of the best defensive players of all time and a true genius in the art of preventing a basket. He also has the off-court persona, where The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis lives. Green has used the pod in the past as a bit of an intimidation tactic, but after being eliminated by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the playoffs, Draymond is now in offseason mode.
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The Golden State Warriors forward had a lot to say after his season came to a close, and spent the majority of the episode focusing on that lost playoff series. Green admitted to losing his personal matchup to Julius Randle, praised Rudy Gobert, and chronicled a Warriors season that went from dead in the water to the second round in just a few months.
Then, Draymond focused on the teams still remaining in the playoffs. The Denver Nuggets are set to face the Oklahoma City Thunder in OKC for the best two words in all of basketball. It’s time for a Game 7. The matchup between the two top MVP candidates has been paying dividends as both teams have rebounded from terrible losses to push them both to a winner-takes-all contest.
While his cohost and former Warriors legend Baron Davis took the Thunder, Green was more resistant to a clear-cut answer. Davis claimed that if Jamal Murray performed to the heights of what he is capable of, the Nuggets could have a chance. Unfortunately for Denver, however, Davis did not see that happening on the road.
“This is Game 7, and anything goes,” responded Green. “I think the role players for the away team in Game 7 ain’t have nothing to lose… I think OKC needed to win Game 6. After they win Game 5, because they stole Game 5, they shouldn’t have won that in my opinion… I think now, going into Game 7, it flips. The pressure is on OKC.”
It’s always hard to bet against Nikola Jokić, but it’s hard to overstate just how much of a failure this season would be if the Thunder bow out here. OKC went 68-14, the best record in the NBA since the 2016 Warriors went 73-9. Failing to make the Conference Finals would be a disastrous disappointment.
The Thunder do have some injury luck on their side, however. Aaron Gordon, who has been the Nuggets’ second-best player with multiple game winners, has been diagnosed with a grade 2 hamstring strain and is listed as questionable for Game 7. If he is unable to play, a Denver team that already lacks depth will need an unexpected hero.
Whoever wins has the Timberwolves waiting for them, and an extremely quick turnaround. The Western Conference Finals are set to begin on Tuesday, meaning these two teams will have only one rest day before a brutal series. Denver, in particular, has now played three seven-game series in a row, dating back to their 2nd round matchup in last year’s playoffs.
Game 7 kicks off at 3:30 PM EST and could have major long-term consequences for whoever comes up short.
