BREAKING: Warriors' Draymond Green Makes Controversial Statement Regarding NBA Finals, Playoffs

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mrbill | Sport
06/06/2025

Draymond Green certainly knows his fair share about playing in the NBA Finals. The Golden State Warriors legend has made six trips to that stage and walked away with four championships as a result.

Green is also someone who is not unfamiliar with his holding a controversial opinion or two. The Warriors forward certainly had what could be considered a 'hot take' about the postseason journey and what it's like to lose in the NBA Finals.

Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Kyrie Irving and LeBron James.

Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Kyrie Irving and LeBron James.

© Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Green and the Warriors dropped the 2016 NBA Finals in the legendary series against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. That year's showcase of the league's two best teams went down in history as the only 3-1 comeback on that stage.

The Warriors also came up short against the Toronto Raptors in 2019 when Kawhi Leonard and his perfectly-constructed supporting cast bounced Green's team in six games. That was the first NBA championship brought norther of the border.

After living through both of those, the Warriors star believed there is truly no worse feeling that losing in the NBA Finals. Green even fed into some of the narratives that have floated in basketball discourse about losing earlier in the NBA Playoffs.

"I personally think making it to the NBA Finals is one of the worst seasons you can have. Going to the NBA Finals and winning an NBA championship, those two things are so far apart," Green told listeners of his podcast.

Green added: "I know that may sound hard for people to believe, but those that have won championships would definitely understand what I'm saying. ... You get nothing for making the NBA finals except a couple of $10,000 more than the conference final."

The defining statement from Green's assessment was this: "Making it to the Finals is great, but if you don't win it, it's almost worse. You might as well have lost in the first round."

The final narrative there is one that many NBA fans have argued about in their time of following the game. Is it better to lose early or make it all the way and come up just short? For Green, an early exit is the preferred route.