Warriors forward Draymond Green finds it disrespectful to compare the Celtics to LeBron James when it comes to opponents in the NBA Finals.
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It’s no secret that Draymond Green and LeBron James share a great friendship, extending beyond the boundaries of the NBA hardwood. The two multiple-time champions have collaborated on several business ventures, including Lobos 1707 and UNINTERRUPTED.
Their friendship stems from the rivalry days between the Warriors and Cavaliers. The two iconic teams of the last decade met each other in the Finals for four straight years, with the Dubs having a 3-1 lead over the Cavs. Nonetheless, Green has developed a lot of respect for James in recent years.
One can never forget their infamous altercation in Game Four of the 2016 Finals that earned Green a suspension in a crucial Game Five, possibly even costing the Warriors the chip. The rest we know is history as Cavs would make one of the most iconic comebacks in NBA Finals history.
The recently conducted media day ahead of Game Six had Green address several questions, one of them being comparing the mental challenge of facing the Celtics to King James in the Finals.
“LeBron James is arguably the smartest guy to set foot on a basketball court”: Draymond Green.
The Warriors-Cavaliers had some of the most iconic battles between 2015-18. However, the arrival of Kevin Durant in the Bay altered the course of this rivalry, but James didn’t go down without a fight, accounting for a string of historic performances in those Finals against KD.
Having witnessed the greatness of James firsthand, Green didn’t hesitate to make his point of comparing facing the Celtics to the four-time champion disrespectful.
“It doesn’t compare. He is arguably the smartest guy to set foot on a basketball court. To say that it compares to that, it’s disrespectful to LeBron & it’s a lie to you.”
While Green didn’t forget to give his flowers to the Celtics, calling them super athletic, fast, young, strong, and talented. The former DPOY revealed how he’d had to outthink the Cs, but not as much as he would have to against James.
Draymond Green was asked the mental challenge of facing Celtics vs. LeBron James:
“It doesn’t compare. He is arguably the smartest guy to set foot on a basketball court. To say that it compares to that, it’s disrespectful to LeBron & it’s a lie to you.”pic.twitter.com/jXCyULdW29
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) June 15, 2022
“Not as much of a chess match as it is when you’re playing LeBron, who is dissecting every play in the computer of his in real-time that’s just a skill many people cannot possess.”
Green didn’t forget to mention Marcus Smart when speaking of players with high IQ on the Celtics roster also mentioning coach Ime Udoka in the same breath, calling the series very challenging.
Well, one cannot argue Green’s points as LBJ’s basketball IQ is one of a kind. The 6″9′ freak of nature thinks like a point guard and can anticipate the crucial moments in a game.
