Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green said Saturday that it was “refreshing” to face off against his longtime friend LeBron James in a recent game.
Feb. 6 was the last time Green’s Warriors faced off against James’ Los Angeles Lakers, so that might’ve been the matchup in question.
Green explained that playing against James provides something unique in an era where NBA games have become “boring.”
“Every possession is some type of chess move,” Green said of facing James. “You don’t get that today in the NBA, often. … You don’t just get that on a regular basis. It’s just who can run faster, who can hit more 3s. It’s no substance. I think it’s very boring.”
Former Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant once called today’s NBA “accidental basketball,” and Green seemingly wants the Warriors to stray away from that type of basketball.
“You want to be one of the teams that aren’t playing an accidental game,” Green said. “That’s the challenge.”
Green might have had extra motivation to play well against James and the Lakers given all the history between the two players.
He certainly put together one of his more productive all-around performances of late, as he stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals and one blocked shot. He also connected on all but two of his seven shots from the field and buried a pair of 3-pointers.
It’s safe to say that Green was outplayed by the 40-year-old James, however. James went off for 42 points and chipped in 17 rebounds and eight assists in an eight-point loss for the Warriors.
The Warriors have spent much of the season treading water but played some winning basketball leading up to the All-Star break after trading for forward Jimmy Butler.
With Butler, Golden State won three of its last four games before the break and earned an impressive victory over the Houston Rockets in its most recent contest.
Butler might just be the piece that Green’s Warriors needed to solidify themselves as contenders in the Western Conference once again. Green hasn’t played past the second round of the playoffs since 2022, when the Warriors beat the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals and added another ring to their collection.
But the Warriors first need to make the playoffs in order to have a chance to be the last team standing in June. Golden State sits as the No. 10 seed in the West currently and is 1.5 games back of the No. 8 seed Dallas Mavericks in the standings.
