"Greatest Game Ever?!" Draymond Green Reacts to Knicks vs Spurs Finals Game 4 Comeback

What's up everybody? Welcome back to the Draymond Green Show. On today's show, we must talk about the game. What a fucking game. Let's get right into it. This episode of the Draymond Green Show is presented to you by KAYAKS. Stay tuned for the rest of the show where I'll tell you about their brand new ready-to-drink pre-workout beverage. We're definitely going to get into this NBA Finals series, in particular Game 4, but first we're going All right, start the show today with the rapid-fire warmup brought to you by Ky-X and their original new creatine EAA booster drink. Finally, creatine that stays creatine and is ready to drink. First up, we gotta dive deeper into some of my takes on Inside the NBA. First starting with what was the dumber play? De'Aaron Fox laying the ball up or J.R. Smith against us in Game 1? And in my opinion, I still have to say it's J.R. Because De'Aaron Fox's play, It's like a judgment play, you know? Like, it's like, ah, I can beat 'em. We're going to go up 3. They'll need a 3 in order to tie the game and go to overtime. So I guarantee us at least a path to overtime. And OG Anunoby just made an incredible play. But, you know, It could also be, and here's what I will say. I'm a big fan of De'Aaron Fox. De'Aaron Fox, I saw something in game 3 that I was a little alarmed by, but as you know, certain results happen and you kind of just have to move on. In game 3, they inbounded the basketball to Fox and he threw it faster than I would have liked to see to Stephon Castle. Stefan Castle goes to the free throw line, knocks two free throws down, they move on. 2 to 1 headed into game 4. But when I saw the fast pass, I was like, man, why he pass the ball so fast? You think about the layup and the natural thing that's gonna happen if he dribble out is he's gonna get fouled. And I don't know if it was a matter of he just wasn't confident in taking the free throws at that time, because when I watched that play during Game 3 and he got off it so fast, and then to watch this play in Game 4 and he go for the layup as opposed to dribbling it out, I was very shocked by that, as everyone was very shocked by it. But I'm just trying to make sense of the play. And like I said, I still think the play with JR was crazier because how do you not know the score? It's a tie ball game and you get an offensive rebound, literally can walk in for a layup and he took off. That one to me still has to be it. It has to be because also we didn't go to overtime. De'Aaron Fox is, he missed the shot and they still have to go down to score. They go down and score, different. But they still had to make other plays. Whereas JR, y'all probably walk off with game 1. This is also game 4. So it's, you know, you set the tone in the series. So I still gotta go with JR's play. But man, that was a complete lapse in judgment by De'Aaron Fox. Um. Like there's, I even, I get the logic of like going up 3, but you gotta get that ball outta there. That's like a play that, you know, you definitely don't expect from a point guard. Like you gotta get that ball outta there. So I'm shocked by it for sure, but I still will have to lean more to the J.R. Smith in game 1, dribbling the ball out and sending the game into overtime. Another take, everyone was talking about OKC having a dynasty, then the Spurs come along this year and everybody like, "Yo, well for the next 10 years now it's them." And I said, "That type of loss can derail what you're possibly gonna become." And what I meant by that was the mindset of the Spurs. So when you hear people talk about championship experience, you say like, "Yo," They got championship experience. Everybody always throw the term out. Most people don't know what the hell it mean. So let me tell you what it means. When you talk about championship experience, yes, obviously you've won a championship, you have championship experience. But what that term really means is in order to win a championship, you've gone through so much shit. You've gone through so much shit that by the time you win a championship, you've probably seen just about all the scenarios you could possibly see. A la championship experience. And so the reason I said this can possibly derail what you're going to become is because, say they tie that game up 2-2 and ultimately move on to become champions. The experiences that you had now quantify for that young group as they have championship experience. And when you have championship experience, sometimes You can win series on that alone, just because you simply know how to do it because you have championship experience and the other team you playing against doesn't because they don't have championship experience. Well, with this loss, this is a big one because they lost a 29-point lead with a chance to tie the NBA Finals on the road after going down 0-2 At home, they have a chance to tie the series 2-2. On the road in Madison Square Garden, up 29 points. And the reason I say it can derail what you are possibly going to become is because now, just like the New York Knicks right now currently, the New York Knicks right now currently feel like, you're playing against us, no lead is safe. Yeah. Whether we're down 15, 20, 29 points, your lead is not safe. Cha Allah, championship experience. Well, vice versa. The flip side, you got the Spurs, they're up 29 points, and in their mind, no lead is safe. And the team that they're playing against mind, well, I've seen y'all give up 29 before. So you walk in the huddle like, hey man, seen them do this before. They'll give it back to you. And so now there's more things that you have to overcome. When people have that mindset about you, that's another thing that you have to overcome. It's like when somebody think you're soft, that's another thing that you have to overcome, how they're going to treat you. Well, with these Spurs now, no matter what their lead is, somewhere in the back of their mind, it'll always be, Man, are we safe? And that type of thing can hamper you. Another reason it can derail what they can become. Well, say you were about to win a championship, if they were, and now you don't. Once contract situations and all that start to come up, you have to start plucking pieces away to make it all work. New CBA, pluck pieces away. Well, guess what? What if you just happen to pluck the wrong piece? It can hinder your run. Could derail them for years to come before they become what they possibly can become. So that's what I meant by that statement. Um, I hope you all better understand that. But needless to say, that is a huge, huge, huge setback. And the setback is much larger than just being down 3-1 and not tied up 2-2. That setback can be viewed 10 years from now. This team could possibly have never— this group could have possibly never won a championship. And you look back and like, there it is right there. Could derail them possibly for what's to come. Mike Brown did something great in the second half. He started playing Jose Alvarado next to Jalen Brunson, allowing him to be another ball handler. All of a sudden Brunson isn't facing 94 feet of pressure. And you have to ask yourself the question, Was Mike Brown right for benching Mikal Bridges? Obviously they won, the answer is yes. But even if they lost, the answer is yes. Mikal Bridges was not playing well. Mikal Bridges also did not play well in game 3. Mikal Bridges— I am a firm believer in, in a series, you have to go with what's working. And if something isn't working, you have to be willing to go away from it. Mike Brown has that type of experience because he's championship experience. Sometimes you just have to go away from it. And it's no disrespect or insult to Mikal Bridges. It's just not always your series or always your night. Mikal Bridges helped them in a dramatic way win games 1 and 2. And I always say swing players. Mikal Bridges, whether he does not play another second in this series, he did his job when he had to.— and swinging the series. But when you're a role player, it won't always be your time. Sometimes that's from series to series. Sometimes that's from game to game. And last night wasn't his game. They needed another ball handler next to Jaylen Brunson bad. Because Jaylen's trying to bring the ball up against 94 feet of pressure, and there was no one else that can really handle the ball and get them into something. Cat was out. Who's gonna handle it? And so in turn, it just turns into the iso ball with Jalen Brunson on top because he's trying to break a guy down, then he gotta go. Jose Alvarado comes in the game. Number one, he brings physicality, he brings a certain mindset. He suplexed Wemby. I saw it, Jose. Maybe nobody else saw it. I saw it. I know what you were saying. I know exactly what you were saying when you did that. So he comes in, all of a sudden, Jalen Brunson getting off, not on the ball the whole time. Someone else can make a play. Jose making plays and it just worked. I thought that was the adjustment that changed the game. And it had to be because just having Jalen with the ball the whole time when Mitchell Robinson's out there and KAT's out with foul trouble, it's not a recipe for success. He needed to get off the ball so that once he got it back, dominoes are moving and he's gone. And it was beautiful. So shout out to Mike Brown. That was a beautiful adjustment. I apologize to Jalen Brunson. The reason I apologize to Jalen Brunson is because I think he's about to go on to win the NBA Finals. And I don't know that I'm gonna have the opportunity to see him face to face. And I wanted to say it to his face. And the reason I said that is because— I'm sorry. I've been very critical of Jalen Brunson. Just not thinking that, hey man, he's this 1A guy that, and here's the thing which y'all have to understand about me. When I say 1A, when I say 1A, what I'm saying is no matter what team you go to, you're the guy. À la Steph Curry, à la LeBron James, à la Luka Dončić, Kawhi. Like there's only really 5 to 7 1As in all of the NBA. And so it's never like a shot like y'all try to make it at Jalen Brunson. I just think there's only like 5 of those guys that no matter what team you put them on, they're the best. That's 1A to me. That's 1A. Needless to say, I've been very critical. And I think he last night take a 3-1 lead. I think they're on their way to a championship. And I am not somebody who can't say they're wrong. One thing I hate is people make these predictions, people make these statements, and then once they're wrong, they just lolly on, diddly-daddle off to the next thing. I don't respect that. I'd much rather somebody say, yo, I said X, and this is why I said it. I was wrong, I was right, fuck. And so I apologized to his face. Number 2, because I respect champions. And I've been respect to Jalen Brunson, by the way. There's no lack of respect by any means necessary. But I respect champions, and who am I to criticize you if you're a champion? And again, I don't think I'll get the opportunity to see him face to face within the time of him becoming a champion or not. And I wanted to say that face to face. And I wanted to say it in front of the world because I've given my critiques in front of the world. So I can tell you to your face in front of the world that I was wrong. Have no problem with doing that. Hope he heard me. It's irrelevant. But I wanted to do that for myself and more importantly, my respect for him. Lastly, I tried Chuck's famous street meat with the white sauce. And I must tell you, that shit was garbage. I mean, when they showed the video of what he be talking about, the food looked awful. I'm like, I gotta try this meat. It was pathetic. I mean, pathetic. It was awful. I can't believe Charles Barkley, who's been rich now— Charles Barkley has been rich for a whopping like 40 years, and he's eating dog food. I still couldn't believe it. I took a bite and I'm like, oh man, like first bite wasn't good. I'm gonna take another bite. It'll get better as you go. I took another bite like, yo, this is dog shit. Yeah. It's not good. I can't believe that's what he's running around the streets. There are so many great restaurants in New York City, and Chuck, you out there eating that street meat with the white sauce. I'm just here to tell y'all that shit is garbage. 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Largest comeback in NBA Finals history. The Knicks were down 29 points. And when I tell you in that arena, you know, in the second quarter, I'm sitting back with Chuck, Shaq, and these guys keep hoisting threes. And Shaq goes, "Yo, they better not shoot another 3." And I'm sitting there like, "Yeah, they definitely got 3 happy." 'Cause the first quarter they were rolling, they were hitting every 3. Beginning of the second, rolling, hitting every 3. But then you can start seeing like they just start going for the 3. And both of them was like, "Yo, they better not shoot another 3." And Chuck's like, "If I'm Mitch Johnson, I'm calling timeout right now and I'm telling these dumb MFers "If they shoot another 3, I'm subbing they ass out the fucking game." And they start, and I'm just sitting there watching. I'm like, "The 3s are outta control." And then before you knew it, they had taken 8 3s in a row. On one possession, Wimby shot 2 off-balance 3s, and it was just like, "Yo, this is like going all the way back." To think that even in watching that, what you thought would happen in watching that is like, "Yeah, the league gonna go from 29 to maybe 12, and then they'll go on a little run." settle things down. It never happened. It never happened. By far, craziest playoff game I've ever seen. I've been a part of some incredible playoff games myself. That had to be the greatest playoff game I've ever seen. To come back from— because the Spurs were dominating, they were rolling, they were doing everything right, everything they had to. And the Knicks were playing pathetic. And it just started to split. Yeah. Slowly but surely. And they kept going, kept going, kept going. When I tell you it got to the point to where when it was in single digits, the building was like, it was like an earthquake. Like they'd score and the building was shaking. I'm talking about like literally shaking. Like you feel the building shaking. I thought I was back in California. Yeah. I had to check the location on my phone and realize, damn, I'm still in New York City. I thought I was in California for certain. The building was shaking. That was the intensity in that place. It was absolutely insane to watch. After the game, when I tell you there was zero crowd control, everybody was on the court. No one was stopping them. By the way, if the security tried to stop them, it would have been a riot. They just let them go. And then they just stayed on the court for like an hour. They just let them go. And then it naturally started to die down. It was so the right thing to do by security, because if they tried to get all those people off the court, it would have been a disaster. When I tell you no one— not only was the court, but if you looked around the arena, 35, 40 minutes after the game, no one had left their seat. They were still in the stands celebrating. It was one of the craziest atmospheres I've ever been a part of. It was absolutely amazing to see. And then leaving the arena, trying to get back to the hotel, 10 minutes away, took 48 minutes to get back. People on this street, you turn down this street like, "Oh man, got away." 10,000 people on that street. "Oh man, got away." 100,000. That shit was insane. What an experience. People climbing, I mean, scaling the side of buildings. It was insanity. Hate to see New York City when they win a championship, this championship. Wow. Nuts. Now let's dish out a little blame for the Spurs collapse. Start with De'Aaron Fox. 6 for 16 from the field, not that important. Mindless turnovers in the clutch. Definitely gotta be better there. The decision to shoot the layup. That's a bang-bang decision. Not a smart play. Very bang-bang. If he makes the layup, no one's complaining. Results-driven. If he misses the layup like he did, everyone's like, yo, he cost them the season. I more so think the turnovers were Worse than the attempted layup? Yes, it was bad. Not saying it wasn't, but that wasn't what cost them the game. There was so many things down the stretch, and I would've liked to see De'Aaron Fox. He's the leader, you know, or he's the veteran, you know, he's the one that's been in playoff series prior, a couple. He's the one that's supposed to settle things down, and a couple of those passes were just bad and uncharacteristic, uncharacteristic of him. Yeah. I'll blame those turnovers more than I'll blame the layup. Yes, the layup was inopportune time, didn't work out, got the shot blocked, ignited a break, yes. But the turnovers, I would say, were much worse. Wemby, from the moment Wemby start telling Mitchell Robinson, "I'm in your head," the Knicks outscored the Spurs 87 to 69. Wemby scored 14 more points and was 4 for 17 from the field. Two big missed free throws towards the end of the game from a great free throw shooter. Listen, I love somebody who talk that shit and back it up. And Wemby been talking the talk and he's been walking the walk for the most part. He failed last night. 29-point lead. Say you the face, say you great, all those things. 29-point lead, you gotta be able to stop the bleeding. You say you the face and you the greatest, gotta be able to stop the bleeding. And he did not do that. He took 3 after 3, bad 3, wasn't rolling to the rim anymore. Like, it looked like he got on his heels. So I think Wemby deserves a lot of blame. Not complete blame, but again, you up 29 points, you that great, you gotta be able to stop the bleeding at some point. And he did not. Mitch Johnson, 20-4 run before you take a timeout with a young team like that, I can't agree with. Never adjusted in the second half. Rotations were not great. There were times where they had a big enough lead to give Wimby a rest, and he didn't, he left Wimby in. If you grab him a rest in some of those spots where you could have, maybe down the stretch he could do some of the things that I was just talking about. But he played and he played. And as a guy who hasn't played a ton of minutes, the most minutes he's ever played has been coming in these playoffs. I think you could have pulled him some rest and he could have been fresher down the stretch. He had nothing in the tank. Even on that last rebound, you want him to come flying back in and at least attempt to get that rebound. He didn't, he stopped and was looking, you know? And so, Mitch Johnson does have to be better though. I think there's been some times in this series where he could be a lot better with his subs, with his timeouts, when he take the timeout, getting great shots outta timeouts. I think he could be a lot better. It's his first NBA Finals, you know, everybody go through their growing pains. Mike Brown has been through this before. You know, these are growing pains and it comes with the territory. I would also like to point out that when Wimby was telling Mitchell Robinson, "I'm in your head," after Mitchell Robinson went through him, I don't think that was a matter of him being in his head. I think that was a matter of, "We ain't get you last game when you got Jalen, so I'm gonna get you right now. When Jose got him, I'm gonna get you right now." I definitely think they were responding to that. They 1,000%, as they should have been. But I don't think that was a matter of like, oh man, he's frustrated. I think that was a matter of like, I'm gonna get you, sucker. That's what I think that was a matter of. Lastly, I see a lot of people saying OG Anunoby is the current favorite for the Finals MVP. And I must say, I agree. I think he's been the most consistent. I think, you know, he's made pivotal plays. He had the block and the bucket to close out the game in game 4. Jalen Brunson was incredible last game, but I think the first 3 games he wasn't great. Shooting a lot of shots at a low percentage. And OG has just been constant. And it hasn't been like averaging 14 points, 16 points. He's averaging 24 points on the series. 65% from the field, 55% from 3. Playing the defense he's playing. Guarding Wemby at times in the series. I think OG Anunoby have a decent game 5 and they win game 5. I think OG Anunoby is the Finals MVP. In Game 5, here's what I think. I think the Spurs is a proud organization. I think they're gonna come out and fight. I think they're gonna come out and punch. When you just lost a 29-point game, though, I don't know how you get yourself up off the canvas. And I have a hard time believing they're gonna be able to win Game 5, 'cause I just don't know how you get yourself off the canvas after that one. If anybody can, that's the organization that can. But I don't know how I can foresee that happen. It's gonna be tough to get off the canvas when you gave up 29. Point lead, it's gonna be tough. If you're a dad like me, or if you're single, or if you're at any stage or age in your life, you have probably been worried about healthcare. Figuring out insurance, finding the right doctors, making appointments, it can make you feel stuck. When I learned about Solace, it felt like the resource I wish I'd had from the start. Solace matches you with a dedicated healthcare advocate who steps into the mess with you. A Solace advocate can find the right doctors and schedule appointments, fight denied insurance claims to get care approved, and make sure all your doctors are actually communicating with each other. They can even join your appointments remotely, help translate complex medical language to plain English, and break down test results and treatment plans so you know exactly what's going on. You connect with your advocate by phone, text, email, or video call them through the platform. 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I want to hear what you think, and it would also mean a ton to me if you share it with a friend that you think would enjoy it. Let's keep this thing growing. The Draymond Green Show is presented by Audacy and executive produced in conjunction with The New Media. Our executive producers are Leah Reese Dennis, Danny Friesinger, and Greg Holtzman. Video production and creative design by Kirk Courtney, Tim Meekle, Lauren Vieira, and Evan O'Brien. Special thanks to the team at The New Media and the team at Odyssey. Maura Curran, Josephina Francis, Hillary Shuff, Eric Donnelly, Kate Rose, Colin Gaynor, and Jake Gally.