Great rivalries make the NBA interesting and even more enjoyable for fans from all around the globe. Speaking of some of the best rivalries from recent times, one cannot leave out the one between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
From 2015 to 2018 the two sides faced off in the NBA Finals back-to-back times. While the Warriors ended up winning three out of the four series. Thus, holding an impressive 3-1 lead in the Finals.
Although the Cavs were completely outplayed in the 2017 and the 2018 NBA Finals, the first two finals were a close affair. Talking of these battles, LeBron James vs. Draymond Green was arguably one of the most interesting things to look forward to in the finals.
While the rest of the league might struggle to contain LeBron James, Green did the job pretty well. One might even wonder, how was that possible? Well, Dray gave an answer to the much-anticipated question in a podcast with JJ Redick.
Green told Redick that he and the Warriors were never surprised with what LBJ would do in the NBA Finals. On the other hand, the Toronto Raptors, for example, were always caught off guard by that.
“The difference is we knew everything they were going to do, they knew everything we were going to do. I’m not sure if DeMar and the Raptors knew what LeBron was going to do….When we go up against each other, there’s no surprises. LeBron wasn’t going to do anything.. other than like make a read, they weren’t going to do anything that we didn’t expect them to do.”
(starts at 0:25)
When two sides face off against each other for four years in the NBA Finals, it gives them time to strategically read their games. But it also depends on individual players whether they can achieve this or not.
Since the Raptors also faced LeBron and co. in the playoffs almost every season, but couldn’t find a way to stop James in his tracks. Despite that, in the 2016 NBA Finals, even the Warriors couldn’t anticipate how well LeBron will play and help the Cavs come back from a 3-1 deficit.
