Draymond Green Says He's Disappointed in the Cavaliers' Playoff Competition
Draymond Green threw a bit of shade Monday afternoon at the Indiana Pacers and Toronto Raptorsโwhom the Cleveland Cavaliers swept in the first two rounds of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
"I thought teams would compete a little harder," Green said after shootaround, per Chris Haynes of ESPN.com. "I just watched San Antonio-Houston. I like to watch good basketball. When you watch Cleveland play, you're only watching one side of the good basketball. That's kind of weak."
He continued:ย "I like watching a good game, not even necessarily that it's going to be a close game. I like to watch teams playing good basketball. When you watch them, you watch one team playing good basketball and everybody else do something. I don't know what that something is."ย
As Haynes noted, the Warriors have actually been more dominant in the postseason, going 7-0 with an average margin of victory ofย 13.7 points, compared to Cleveland's 8-0 mark and average margin of victory ofย 8.3 points.
Green wasn't willing to critique the Portland Trail Blazers and Utah Jazz, however, even praisingย the Jazz.
"I think Utah is still playing good basketball," he said. "Regardless if they win or not, I think we're a better team. But at the same time, they still play a good brand of basketball."
Since Kevin Durant joined the Warriors this offseason, it seemed inevitable that the Warriors and Cavaliers would clash in a third straight NBA Finals. While neither team is yet a lock to reach the title round, both remain the clear favorites in their respective conferences. And neither has broken much of a sweat thus far this postseason, though Green clearly feels the Warriors have faced tougher competition in the West.ย
Stiffer challenges await both teams, however, with the Warriorsโassuming they don't lose four straight games to the Jazzโnext facing either the San Antonio Spurs or Houston Rockets, while the Cavaliers await either the Boston Celtics or Washington Wizards.
And both teams would probably prefer the other faces a challenge and some wear and tear before they inevitably meet again in the Finals.
