Published 10:50 IST, April 24th 2020
Draymond Green claims Raptors stood no chance of winning 2019 title sans Durant's injury
Though the Golden State Warriors lost to the Toronto Raptors last year, Draymond Green believes that only happened because Durant had injured himself.
- SportFit
- 3 min read
On Thursday (Friday IST), Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green made an appearance on Showtime’s All The Smoke along with retired NBA players like Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson. They discussed the Warriors dynasty, which Green believes was ‘unstoppable’ after Durant signed with them in 2016. Though they lost last year, he believes that only happened because Durant injured himself.
Draymond Green on the 2019 NBA Champions Raptors winning due to Durant's injury
According to Draymond Green, the Toronto Raptors ‘wouldn’t have stood a chance’ if Kevin Durant was healthy during the 2019 NBA Finals. Green talks about Game 5 where the Warriors had 40 points with six minutes to go in the first period. If Durant did not get hurt that game, Green knows they would have defeated the Raptors. Durant had suffered from a calf strain during the Western Conference semi-finals against the Houston Rockets and returned to the game in the finals against the Toronto Raptors.
2019 NBA Champions Raptors Game 5 loss vs the Warriors
The two-time NBA Finals MVP scored 11 points, 2 rebounds and 1 block in 12 minutes. In the second quarter, Kevin Durant ruptured his Achilles heel and was sidelined from the game. Though the Warriors won Game 5 with a 106-105 score, the Raptors bagged the next game and won their first-ever NBA title. Durant, who signed with the Brooklyn Nets in off season, continues to recover from his injury and is yet to make a debut with them.
While Draymond Green seems sure the Raptors stood no chance with Kevin Durant on the court, the Warriors star recently called Durant out for being indecisive about his decision to leave the Warriors. While appearing on Uninterrupted's WRTS: After Party show Monday (Tuesday IST), Green stated that he hoped that Durant would have been upfront about his decision, telling them if 'this is it or 'this isn't it'. He added that Durant just left the elephant out of the room, because of which they received the question every day. Green was unimpressed with the number of questions the rest of the team had to answer and compared the situation to the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls, where the players stated that they would not be returning.
While his time with the Warriors gave Durant two NBA championships, he has been reported to be unhappy with the team. While no one has confirmed the rumours, Durant was supposedly frustrated over the preferential treatment Warriors star Steph Curry received. During the 2018-19 season, Green apparently doubted Durant’s loyalty to the franchise, which led to a confrontation on the court. Last year, Durant admitted that Green’s words were part of the reason why he left the team. Draymond Green later revealed that he regretted the fight and had apologized to Kevin Durant.
Updated 10:50 IST, April 24th 2020