The 2015-16 Cleveland Cavaliers will go down as one of the most legendary teams in NBA history for taking down the 73-9 Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals after having fallen to a 3-1 deficit. It was one of the best series’ LeBron James has ever played and is the perfect chapter of his tumultuous relationship with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
However, the Cavaliers were given a massive boost in Game 4 of the Finals when Draymond Green was ejected for hitting LeBron between his legs. This triggered a technical foul suspension for Draymond, who missed Game 5 where Cleveland won comfortably.
Richard Jefferson was also on that 2016 Cavaliers squad and was commentating on the Golden State Warriors’ loss to the Phoenix Suns. In the broadcast, Jefferson discusses the Draymond suspension and shared his belief that they would have lost the series if Draymond had not been suspended.
Richard Jefferson admits that the Cavs don’t win in 2016 if Dray doesn’t get suspended pic.twitter.com/c1ikR0itUe
— • (@sc30era) March 31, 2022
“I don’t mind it because it’s true. I thank Draymond all the time when I see him… I’m not gonna lie and say it didn’t help, of course it helped at the time. I’ll tell him that, he knows it.”
It is a clear fact that the Warriors would have stood a better chance if Draymond stayed on the floor that series, as he probably would have been Finals MVP if they won the title that year. His loss crippled the Warriors defensively that game and they stood no chance of stopping the Cavaliers.
However, Draymond did play the final games of the series and couldn’t guide his team to a victory despite solid performances. His impact is invaluable, but the Cavs and LeBron continued to win games even when he was on the floor. The Draymond what-if from the 2016 Finals will always be a talking point, but the result was what it was and the Warriors had to end that season without a ring.
