The Golden State Warriors will be facing a re-bolstered league that has souped up some of its best teams in hopes to contend for the title. It's clear the days of a NBA Finals rivalry with the Cleveland Cavaliers are now gone, but Draymond Green and Kevin Durant still have their eyes on their biggest opponents standing in the way of another title — the Boston Celtics.
Asked of who could potentially give them a run for their money, Green answered matter-of-factly.
“Boston,” he told Sam Amick of The Athletic. “I just think with the tools that they have, and the way the game is set up today, with small-ball and all that stuff, Al Horford can switch onto guards. That would be their five in that lineup. And then obviously, you’ve got Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward, Kyrie (Irving), Terry Rozier, Marcus Smart, Marcus Morris. They’ve got a lot of guys who fit right into that style of play, with the experience of playing with Kyrie, who isn’t backing down from anyone.”
Durant, though initially taking the sneaky way out by listing six teams, finally caved to say one potential team that could knock the Warriors off their throne.
“Boston,” said Durant, after mentioning the Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers as other potential contenders. “They’ve got a deep team. They’ve got a collection of talented scorers where it’s going to be hard to switch guys on. They’ve got a big man (in Horford) who can facilitate like Draymond. They’ve got a great coach (in Brad Stevens), a great atmosphere, a great home court advantage, and they’ve got a lot of length. Those are usually the teams that give us trouble.
Green and Durant clearly share the same respect for Irving as a familiar foe, as well as big man Al Horford, who is part of the nucleus of that team — one they could meet at the biggest stage if the Warriors can muster another run to the NBA Finals for a fifth straight year.
Follow Us
Subscribe