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Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors has been making headlines in the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics. Green has struggled with 15 points and 15 fouls in the first three games, but stamped his presence in a classic Game 2 performance.
Despite following it up with an embarrassing Game 3, Green's playoff resume is really good minus the crotch shots to Steven Adams and LeBron James. He's been the main defensive anchor for Golden State's dynasty since 2015. He has three championships in five Finals appearances and is looking to add a fourth in his sixth trip.
Here are the five greatest playoff moments of Green's career brought to you by Sportskeeda.
#5 Stealing the ball from the MVP
Draymond Green is a former Defensive Player of the Year. Green is one of the best defenders of his generation. Even at the age of 32, the Saginaw native is still capable of defending great players. It showed in the first round of this year's postseason against the two-time MVP, Nikola Jokic.
In Game 3 against the Denver Nuggets, Green stole the ball for Jokic with about 40 seconds left in the game. The Nuggets needed a basket and went to their superstar center. Jokic backed up against his smaller defender, but Green managed to poke the ball.
The Warriors went on to win the game and go up, 3-0. Golden State eventually eliminated Denver in five games. In the first three games of the series, Green managed to hold Jokic to just 13-for-36 shooting or 36% as his primary defender.
#4 The classic Draymond Green game
Game 2 of this year's NBA Finals showed what Draymond Green is capable of doing. Even though Green finished with just nine points, five rebounds and seven assists, it was a classic Draymond game. The former DPOY was a pest to the Celtics the whole game.
Green brought his trademark intensity and physicality in Game 2. He wrestled Grant Williams to the ground and was called for a technical foul. He even got into it with Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum during the game, but managed to avoid getting ejected.
Celtics fans were livid at Green as they welcomed him to Boston with "Fuck you, Draymond" chants in Game 3. Green played terribly as the Warriors lost 116-100. If the Warriors want to even and win the series, Draymond has to play much better at both ends of the floor.
#3 Clutch block on LeBron James
As mentioned earlier, Draymond Green is a former DPOY. Back in 2015, Green still had some bounce and he managed to block LeBron James in the clutch. It happened in Game 2 of the NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers.
With the Warriors up 93-92 in overtime, James tried to go for the lead with under 25 seconds left in the game. His layup attempt was met up top by Green, who blocked the shot out of bounds. It preserved the Warriors' lead with 18.6 seconds left.
However, the Warriors lost the game after committing fouls on Matthew Dellavedova and LeBron. The Cavs tied the series 1-1, but eventually lost in six games. The Warriors won their first championship in 40 years that year.
#2 All-around performance against Portland
According to Bleacher Report, Draymond Green's performance against the Portland Trail Blazers was the greatest all-around game in Golden State Warriors' history. Green lit up the scoreboard in Game 1 of their 2017 first round series against Portland.
The reigning DPOY of that year put up 19 points, 12 rebounds, nine assists, five blocks and three steals in the Warriors' 121-109 win. It was the first time in Warriors playoff history that a player led in rebounds, assists, steals and blocks in a game, per ESPN.
The Warriors went on to sweep the Blazers in the first round. They followed it up with two more sweeps in the Western Conference semifinals and finals. Golden State went on to finish the postseason with a 16-1 record to win their second championship in three years.
#1 NBA Finals triple-double in closeout game
Draymond Green is one of the few players to register a triple-double in a closeout game at the NBA Finals. Green had 16 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in Game 6 of the 2015 NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He joined players such as Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, James Worthy, Tim Duncan and LeBron James.
Green helped the Warriors win their first championship in four decades. He also had three steals and a block during the game. It was clearly the greatest performance of his playoff career. It could have been his heroic Game 7 in 2016, but they lost that game and they blew a 3-1 series lead.
Since the Warriors are built to compete over the next several years, Draymond will surely get more playoff moments. Even though he's no longer that fast or athletic, he still has one of the best basketball IQs in the league. He's also a great mentor for their young players such as James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga, Jordan Poole and Moses Moody.
