By: Kevin Jones
OAKLAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers took a bus from San Francisco to Oracle Arena Wednesday afternoon for their first NBA Finals practice in 2017.
Draymond Green had a message waiting for them as they pulled into the tunnel.
“Everybody’s susceptible to [trash talking],” Green said. “I don’t care who you are.”
One year after blowing a 3-1 lead, it’s safe to say the Warriors have not lost a shred of their renowned confidence. During a media session, Shaun Livingston was made aware of Draymond’s trash talking comments and added fuel to the sentiment: Not only is Draymond good at trash talking, he knows when and who to target.
“We know who has thicker skin than others,” Livingston said. “Confidence comes into play.”
Upon hearing the Warriors were trumpeting their skills as trash talkers on the court, Cavalier veteran Richard Jefferson was a little miffed. The 36-year-old thinks the Warriors actually lost the NBA Finals last year partly due to trash talking and losing control of their emotions. Draymond was suspended in a critical Game 5, Steph Curry was ejected for throwing his mouthpiece into the stands in Game 6.
“(With Draymond) we understand your greatest strength is your greatest weakness,” Jefferson said during Media Day. “I think Draymond is a very intelligent player, but I also think for him, he wants to keep his emotions in check. And the best way to not let somebody get underneath your skin is by hitting shots, by playing good defense, by forcing turnovers, by making things difficult for them.
“I don’t view the trash talk as a key part of this series. Especially when you look at it from the emotional spot. I think our team was the most poised last year. I think that’s why we were able to go and get a championship. Steph got kicked out of a game. Draymond got suspended. The fact that (they) want to reference trash talk and getting under people’s skin, I think whoever is the most poised team is going to win. I think we were the most poised team last year.”
Circumstances for how much Draymond can get away with have changed one year later. Green was only assessed one technical foul during 12 postseason games and has zero flagrant points. It would take something extraordinary for him to receive a suspension during these NBA Finals. Green has credited the birth of his son, Draymond Jr., as a factor in his maturity, but he still hasn’t changed as a basketball player.
“I’ve never seen Draymond in a better place emotionally,” Steve Kerr said Monday at practice. “He’s still playing with rage and fire.”
“I think that there’s emotions for everyone in this series,” Green said. “If it’s not, you’re in the wrong series. So whether I had been suspended or not, I wanted to come into the NBA Finals with high emotions, you don’t get here without it.”
No names were mentioned, but one of Draymond’s assumed trash talking targets could end up being Kevin Love. The 28-year-old Love is enjoying the most prolific postseason of his career, but his numbers haven’t been all that great going up against Green. Regular season statistics are often taken with a grain of salt, but Love’s numbers against the Warriors in two games took a significant nose dive: 31.6% from the field, 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 fouls, 11.5 points.
Love is fully expecting Draymond’s best shot — both defensively and with competitive insults on the basketball court.
“He’s one of the best in the game at being a trash talker,” Love said. “He’s a guy, like I mentioned, that sets the tone for them. And this is the NBA Finals. I think that everybody expects that and hopes for that. It’s two — the best two teams in the league going at it. So it’s definitely fun to be a part of, and it’s just part of the game.”
Despite his suspension last June, Green was arguably the most consistent player for the Warriors. Green averaged 16.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and a 40.3 shooting percentage from behind the arc – all significantly higher than his regular season averages. A heroic Game 7 effort – 32 points, 15 rebounds and 9 assists in 47 minutes – was nearly enough to prevent the Finals collapse from happening.
“Goal is to win a championship,” Green said. “I don’t really think you need extra motivation to do that. You don’t come into the season, oh, man, we lost in three. I don’t even — I don’t know if 3-1 has been mentioned in our locker room one time this year. It’s not something that — when you’re chasing greatness, that’s the expectation.”