Draymond Green was the most talked about Warrior on the court in Friday’s Game 4 loss against Cleveland, but not necessarily for his performance. Instead, the controversy that surrounded Green’s technical foul situation was a major point of discussion in the hours and days after the game. Lost in that noise was the fact that Green actually recorded the most points (16) and rebounds (14) he’s had in any game of the series thus far.
Even with the double-double, Green shot under 40 percent from the field and made just one 3-pointer. It’s been a less-than-standard series for Draymond thus far, particularly for his shooting numbers. He’s averaging 11.3 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game while shooting 35.6 percent overall and 25 percent from deep. In addition, he’s frequently found himself in foul trouble, recording at least four in each game of the series, though he’s yet to foul out.
The Undefeated’s Marc Spears joined Ted Ramey on 1050 on Monday and pointed out that Draymond seems due to break out.
“Draymond Green is due for a big game. He hasn’t had one the entire Finals, which is very very surprising. I know he’s been working with his personal shooting coach Travis Walton, he played with him at Michigan State. They’ve been working on some stuff the past couple of days. So perhaps Draymond could be the spark, which would be certainly poetic because he missed Game 5 last year,” Spears said.
Fans will remember Green sitting in a luxury suite at the A’s game next door to Oracle Arena with Warriors GM Bob Myers and Marshawn Lynch during Game 5 last year while he was suspended. Green was ready to go celebrate a potential series-clinching win, but that win never came. Monday, however, Green will be in uniform and able to make a direct impact on the game and its outcome.
In Game 7 last season, Green was arguably the best player for Golden State. He scored 32 points and had 15 rebounds to go along with nine assists. Given the series lead blown by Golden State last season and the similar situation the Warriors could find themselves in if they lose Game 5, Monday’s game could feel an awful lot like a Game 7.
Even the best game of Green’s life likely wouldn’t earn him the Finals MVP award, but a strong performance on both ends of the court on Monday could go a long way in helping the Warriors win the title and vanquish their demons from 2016.
The full interview with Ramey and Spears is available below. To listen to Spears talk about Green, jump to the 4:45 mark.