Will the Real Draymond Green Please Stand Up?
Game 4 of the NBA Finals was a straight up beatdown. The officiating was horrendous. Not on the level of the 2002 Western Conference Finals, where the poor city of Sacramento was robbed, but it was awful. Whether it was the missed back court violation, or ignoring the uppercut by Zaza to Shumpert’s junk, the refs fucked up. If Adam Silver should be embarrassed by anything, it shouldn’t be the lack of competition, but the fact that he had guys officiating this game whose expertise were suited more towards stocking shelves at Foot Locker. Get the fuck off the court, and go check if they have any Air Max Zeros in size twelve. The white and greys, bitch.
Poor officiating aside, the Cavs earned this victory. They were historically good on offense. Kyrie was downright unguardable, as he’s been virtually this entire series. Besides the big 3, their role players decided to show up. JR, Thompson, and even Korver decided to come out of his coma for a couple of big shots. Hell, “no eyebrows” Richard Jefferson, didn’t even embarrass himself. This was as good as the Cavs could play offensively, which is exactly why they will not come back to win this series. Because that’s what Game 4 was, an anomaly. An amazing feat, that is not indicative of how this team can play on a night in/night out basis.
As high-powered as the Cavs offense was, the Warriors continued to do what they always do on offense, shooting 54%. Like I said, the officiating certainly played a role in the blowout, however the Cavs also made some adjustments that the Warriors are going to have to combat and find a way to exploit. The person who needs to exploit it, is Draymond Green. When the Cavs decide to double team Curry and Durant, Green needs to take it personally. He needs to take it as a challenge to be the facilitator we’ve come to expect him to be, and make better decisions with the ball. In the Finals, he’s averaged 5 assists and 3 turnovers, he’s better than that. Since he came into the league he has become the heart of this team emotionally, and as he’s evolved as a player he’s become the heart of this team physically with his versatility on both sides of the ball. He needs to show up, and he will, because that’s who Draymond Green is. He doesn’t just talk, he brings his tools and he goes to fucking work. Monday night, he will prove to everyone that the only reason Cleveland had a chance last year, is because he wasn’t there to close the door in Game 5.
