NBA Finals: Draymond Green Backs Luka Doncic & Co To Win It All Over Nuggets, Celtics

Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks have been on a redemption arc. After losing the first semifinal game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the team later went on to register two wins to their name. During the ongoing Game 4, they currently hold a 30-20 lead over their rivals by the end of the first quarter. Their current offensive prowess, combined with the one they displayed during the regular season and the first round of the playoffs, has convinced Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green that the only way they will go from now on is up!

A few hours ago, he made a guest appearance on the highly popular ‘NBA on TNT’ show. Dray was asked to choose his team who looked the ‘most championship-winning worthy’ at the moment. The active player didn’t have to think for long before entrusting his faith in Dallas. “They got Luka and Kyrie,” said Green. He then expanded on their ability to step up one after another which turns out to work in their favor.

“When Luka can’t get it going, Kyrie seems to always be able to get it going. They know what it takes to win, especially Kyrie winning a championship. So, they’ve got all the pieces around to do it”.  

The Slovenian has been leading the offensive effort for his team in most of the games since the beginning of the regular season. During the last 5 games, he has continued maintaining his average score of 26.6 points, 9 rebounds, and 8.8 assists. There were, however, some moments during the tournament when Luka Doncic’s availability was uncertain due to an injury, or the player could not manage to perform well.

In those situations, the Mavericks’ not-so-recent acquisition, Kyrie Irving, took the lead. Having been his on-court rival for over 12 years now, Draymond Green is well accustomed to the skills that the 32-year-old brings to the roster.

While the voice of confidence from a fellow rival is all that the dynamic duo would need, it would be a different environment for them when going up against the Nuggets and the Celtics on the road to the Championship ring. After all, the franchise holds a 5-5 record against the Nuggets and a 4-6 win score against the Celtics. Furthermore, the OKC roster can still catch up to the team. However according to Draymond Green, the same may be unlikely.

Draymond Green has Luka Doncic winning against OKC in “five-six” games

A couple of days ago, the Golden State Warriors star released another episode of his podcast. The timing for the same couldn’t have been more appropriate, since the Mavericks had lost Game 1 against OKC barely a few hours ago. The game was lost by a score of 117-95, a 22-point margin. Given this, it would have made sense for many people to have been convinced that this may be the end of the road for the franchise. Fortunately, Green was not among them.

“I actually got Dallas winning this series in five, six (games) at best,” said the power forward. “The reason I have Dallas winning that way is because I just don’t think OKC is big enough for Dallas”. Green then highlighted how the combined forces of Luka Doncic, PJ Washington, and Daniel Gafford have helped the main roster develop a certain “length” and “girth”. He believes that their rivals possess “length”  as well, but most of the people in their roster are downright “skinny”.

“They’re (Mavericks) as good as they (OKC) are offensively,” Green continued. “I don’t think Dallas is better defensively, but with their length and their physicality, I think that will make them better defensively”.

Unfortunately, Green’s prediction seems to have faltered a bit. Despite possessing a good lead during Game 4, the Mavericks ended up losing the recent matchup by a score of 96-100. With this, both teams are now tied with a 2-2 score. However, all hope is not lost for Luka Doncic and Co. A win in Game 5 and 6, which will alternate between the Oklahoma and the Texas arenas, will allow the franchise to proceed to the Conference Finals. After that, either the Nuggets or the Timberwolves will serve as their next major obstacle in the journey of securing the ring after a 13-year hiatus.