Iman Shumpert hints Draymond Green is the Warriors' real MVP
Here is what Iman Shumpert had to say about the importance of Draymond Green for the Warriors
If you are a Golden State Warriors critic, your point of view of Draymond Green is that he is just a loudmouth who logs in triple-singles every game. In your eyes, Green is a mere role player and does not deserve his three All-Star nods.
However, if you are a Dubs fan, you know Green brings incredible value to the Warriors. His vocal leadership, profile as a point-forward, and trademark intensity have contributed to the Warriors' titles. Ex-NBA player Iman Shumpert confirmed this. He pointed out how different the Warriors are without Green, particularly in Game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals.
“People say ‘he isn’t an All-Star’. Bro, he means that much to them. We knew in Game 5 when that man didn’t play, we saw how different they was… It’d be tough. They’re a different ball club with him. It was like, no bullsh*t, coming up to the park and beating up on some kids and their big brother just ain’t there right now. That’s what it felt like. It felt like we just came up to the park, and bust y’all a** and your big homie wasn’t there, and we beat y’all ass. Y’all aint do sh*t about it, y’all are calling dude and he gotta come back to the park the next game,” Shumpert said.
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To recall, the 2016 NBA Finals was when the Cleveland Cavaliers mounted a historic 3-1 comeback. In the closing minutes of Game 4, LeBron James and Green got tangled up, resulting in the latter getting slapped with a flagrant foul. It was Green's fourth flagrant in the playoffs, and so he got suspended for Game 5 of the series.
As Shumpert pointed out, the Warriors were so different without Green around. Though he did not give out the specifics, the numbers from Game 5 prove his point. LeBron and Kyrie Irving both dropped 41 points each. James dominated the glass with 16 boards.
It was the turning point the Cavaliers needed to finish the impossible task. The Warriors had won a record 73 games in the regular season and looked immaculate. Stephen Curry had already forged himself as the greatest shooter of all time. Spectators during that time believed that the championship was already in the bag for the Warriors.
But suddenly, Green's absence in Game 5 derailed these expectations. Even though he returned to play the last two games, it was already too late. The Warriors lost momentum in just that single game without him, which resulted in the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history.
