Last year’s epic collapse by the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals left a bad taste in the mouth to all of their players. They couldn’t wait for this season to start as they wanted to avenge their embarrassing loss, and also prove that the 3-1 lead they blew will not happen again.
Draymond Green did not waste time in making sure they’ll have a better chance at winning, as he admittedly stayed inside his car before leaving the Oracle Arena parking lot to make a couple of phone calls first. He shared, via Zach Lowe of ESPN, that he reached out to Warriors general manager Bob Myers to tell him to do his best to sign Kevin Durant. The 26-year-old Michigan State product then revealed that he also called Durant himself and started to recruit him immediately.
“Green was already working on that as he left Oracle Arena after that gutting Game 7 loss. Green sat in his car in the parking and called Myers, telling him he had to sign Durant. “It's on you,” Green told Myers.”
“Green hung up, stayed in the parking lot, and made another call — to Durant. “That was my very next call,” Green said. Two weeks later, Durant signed a maximum contract that put him in a Golden State uniform for at least one season, with several more seasons likely to come.”
As it turned out, Durant indeed chose the Dubs despite having a multitude of teams showing interest in him, as he believed his best chance of winning a title is in Oakland. Now at the brink of winning it all, as they have a 3-0 lead in the Finals, Green recalls the time he dialed Durant’s number, and sees it as a turning point for him and their team.
They have managed to add Durant to their fold and show everyone that he can fit in their system. Although there were a lot of people who doubted that all four stars of the team can co-exist, they didn’t need to sacrifice a lot from their natural game as they have continued to win this year and dominate the competition. Should they go on and clinch the championship, Green can look back at the time he talked to Durant after Game 7 and think of it as one of the best decisions he’s made as a professional, which is now paying dividends for the team.
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