Draymond Green Showed No Remorse For Mistake That Costed 2016 Title Win vs LeBron James: “Wouldn’t Have $70 Million”

Draymond Green is one of the last string of home-grown talent responsible for a dynasty. Alongside Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, Green has been at the heart of the Golden State Warriors, securing 4 NBA Championships over the last 9 years. However, amid his spick and span resume, there is a glaring defeat in 2016 that mars the Dubs legacy. In the year they broke the record for most wins in a season, they lost to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

It was a souring season that otherwise would have made NBA history. Moreover, Green’s 5-game suspension for a Flagrant foul on LeBron allowed the Cavs to recover from a detrimental 3-1 lead. In the past, the former DPOY has taken the blame for the loss. Now, Ryen Russillo says Green has no remorse for that fatal mistake.

“I remember I interviewed [Draymond Green] after the 2016 finals…And I was like ‘is there any part of you that regrets what happened?’…He was like ‘nope, I wouldn’t have $70 million if I acted like you,'” recalls Russillo.

Green addressed this issue earlier in The Old Man Tree stating, “I really dominated that game. So, it sucks that we didn’t win it, because you’d always hear about that performance had we won. So, that bothers me. But there’s an old adage: In the end, you normally get what you deserve. And I got what I deserved.” This is especially sad for Draymond, as he could have been the Finals MVP that year.

Could Draymond Green have won the Finals MVP over LeBron James?

Green was the leading candidate for Finals MVP until his suspension. Although LeBron was outperforming him, voters tend to hesitate to honor a player from the losing team, as seen with LeBron the previous year when Andre Iguodala received the Finals MVP award. The outcome of the series could have been different if the Warriors had closed it out in Game 5 or Game 6, but Green was in prime position to secure Finals MVP.

Despite being suspended, Green still had an opportunity to claim the Finals MVP title if Golden State emerged victorious in Game 7. He went above and beyond his duties.

In what could be considered one of the greatest NBA Finals Game 7 performances ever, Green recorded 32 points on 11-of-15 shooting, grabbed 15 rebounds, dished out nine assists, and showcased excellent defense. It’s especially telling when Green himself addressed this in the same podcast saying,” The one thing, when I look back on it, that bothers me is I would’ve been the Finals MVP. And that totally changes the narrative. Good luck leaving me off the NBA 75 if I was Finals MVP. Good luck even having a debate if I’m a Hall of Famer or not if I was Finals MVP.”

How would the Finals MVP change Draymond’s legacy? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.

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