LeBron James and his 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers squad pulled off the impossible, as they became the only team in NBA history to come back and win, after being down 3-1 in the Finals. LeBron and Kyrie Irving’s last-minute heroics in Game 7 of the finals ensured that the city of Cleveland would finally receive its first championship as the Cavs pulled off one of the greatest upsets in sports history.
Advertisement
While the Championship brought great joy to Cleveland natives, Golden State fans all across the globe were heartbroken. Even NBA Hall of Famer Bill Walton had the Warriors winning the series, going so far as to cancel his plans for a Bob Dylan concert so he could be present when the Dubs took home back-to-back titles in 2015 and 2016.
Unfortunately for Walton, the confetti didn’t drop in Game 5, as LeBron and Kyrie led the Cavaliers to a 112-97 victory over Golden State, pushing the series to Game 6 at the Quicken Loans Arena.
Appearing on the ‘Road Trippin Podcast’ back in 2017, Walton further talked about his experience attending the 2016 Finals and even blamed Draymond Green for the Warriors’ loss in Game 5. of the 2016 Finals.
” I was sure Golden State was going to win. And then Draymond Green loses his mind and puts himself ahead of the team…I gave up a Bob Dylan concert to go to Game 5.” Walton told his co-hosts.
From the looks of it, Bill Walton placed a significant amount of blame on Green’s shoulders for the Warriors’ loss in the 2016 Finals. Draymond acted as the glue that kept the Warriors system cohesive and running together. Even this year, the Warriors struggled in Green’s absence, putting up a record of 13-14 in the games Green missed through injury/suspension.
Draymond Green admits that the 2016 loss was his fault
Draymond Green isn’t running from the blame. The Warriors forward even admitted that if not for his suspension in Game 5, Golden State would have one more championship banner hanging from the rafters of Chase Center.
During a 2022 appearance on the Checc’n In Podcast With Big U, Draymond even said, “We lost. I take that on the chin. I cost us a championship. I’m fine with that. I can take that on the chin, no problem. I own up to my mistakes.”
However, Draymond later confessed that he would “100 percent” repeat his actions if provoked similarly. Talking about it further, Draymond added,
“If somebody tries to step over me, I’m going to try to hit them…What I wouldn’t do again, is I wouldn’t allow myself to be in a position to where someone can make that decision and cost me.”
In the end, Green doesn’t seem to have learned much from his 2016 blunder. This season alone, Green missed over 17 games because of suspension, as the Warriors forward made headlines after he got into physical altercations with Rudy Gobert and Jusuf Nurkić on 2 different occasions. Had Green held back on his on-court antics, the Warriors could have possibly secured a competitive position to either secure a playoff spot outright or gain an advantage in the play-in.
