Draymond Green was recently a guest on the Club 520 Podcast hosted by former NBA star Jeff Teague. During the show, Green and Teague dived into all things basketball and discussed the NBA at length. Toward the end of the episode, Green was asked an interesting question by one of the co-hosts. The four-time NBA Champion was requested to name the craziest game he has ever played.
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After thinking for a while, Green went on to choose Game 6 of the 2016 Western Conference Finals. The Warriors forward also gave a shout-out to his longtime teammate Klay Thompson for bailing them out in the almost-lost contest.
“The craziest game I played in was Game 6 in 2016, Oklahoma City. We were down 15 in the third quarter and Klay went ape sh*t. We had no business winning that game. It was over. They were going to the [NBA] finals and that was that,” Green told Teague and Co.
The game Green is referring to served as the turning point of the 2016 Western Conference Finals. As he rightly pointed out, by the time the game entered the fourth quarter, most people had already ruled out the Warriors. Not only did Golden State have to overcome a 15-point deficit, they had to do so in front of a hostile Oklahoma crowd.
But it would be during this game that the legend of ‘Game 6 Klay’ would be born. Thompson would score 41 points on the night while going 11 for 18 from the three-point land (61.1%). Not only that, but Klay would manage to do so while barely going to the free-throw line.
The Thunder had a brilliant offense led by Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook that year. However, they’d fail to bring the ship home, tying the series 3-3. The Warriors’ victory in the deciding Game 7 would eventually see KD leave OKC for the Dubs in what has been the most controversial move in NBA history.
Draymond Green shoulders the blame for 2016 Finals loss
Draymond Green is the heart and soul of the Golden State Warriors. Not only that, Green is also the team’s enforcer and often gets into trouble for getting involved in scuffles. But even though Green has his little misadventures from time to time, his presence is always a net positive for the team. But back in the 2016 Finals, Green would be suspended for his rough play during Game 4 of the series.
The Warriors would end up blowing a 3-1 series lead against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Fast forward a few years and Green was asked about the 2016 Finals on Paul George’s podcast. Answering questions about the series, Draymond would tell his host, “If anything I regret, there were some guys on that team that didn’t get the opportunity to win a championship because of my emotions.”
Green would eventually shoulder the blame for the Warriors losing the series. While on the 520 Podcast, Green humbly accepted his failings and boldly claimed that the Warriors might have had another trophy, if not for his game 4 suspension. Even though we will never truly know if Green’s suspension was the primary factor behind Golden State blowing a 3-1 lead, it’s fair to say that it had a ‘negative impact’ on the Dubs going forward.
