Draymond Green: Warriors Would Beat Finals Jazz ‘By 40’
Jul 27, 2022, 5:33 PM | Updated: 5:43 pm
Draymond Green celebrates in a game against the Utah Jazz (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr/Getty Images)
(Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – All-Star forward Draymond Green said his 2017 Golden State Warriors team would have beaten the Stockton and Malone-era Jazz by 40 points.
Green tweeted that he was watching the Jazz in the Finals against the Chicago Bulls and didn’t think either roster could compete with the star-laden Warriors roster.
“I’m watching the 98 Bulls vs Utah in the Final,” Green tweeted. “I can’t help but notice our 2017 team would’ve beaten these Bulls by a dub and these Jazz by 40 if they’re going to play these brands of basketball. And that’s why it’s dumb to compare Era’s.”
I’m watching the 98 Bulls vs Utah in the Finals… I can’t help but notice our 2017 team would’ve beaten these Bulls by a dub and these Jazz by 40 if they’re going to play these brands of basketball. And that’s why it’s dumb to compare Era’s
— Draymond Green (@Money23Green) July 25, 2022
Green’s point wasn’t to disrespect the best team in Jazz history but to illustrate how quickly styles of basketball change.
The Warriors won 67 games during the 2016-17 season and beat the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers 4-1 to capture their second Finals in three seasons.
To better illustrate the differences, one needs only to look at the three-point discrepancy between the Jazz and the Warriors teams.
In both the 1997 and 1998 Finals, the Jazz shot a combined 48-145 from the three-point line over 12 games in the two series.
In just five Finals games in 2017, the Warriors shot a staggering 71-186 from the three-point line to easily dismiss the Cavaliers.
Green did touch on the finer details of the series, though didn’t delve into his thoughts on either Michael Jordan or Karl Malone, the two best players in the series.
“Rodman was INSANE!!” Green tweeted. “And John Stockton had a tough time with these dudes. Hornacek had no answer for Pip.”
Rodman was INSANE!! And John Stockton had a tough time with these dudes. Hornacek had no answer for Pip
— Draymond Green (@Money23Green) July 25, 2022
Stockton averaged 15.0 points and 8.8 assists in ’97 but saw his numbers dip to 9.7 points and 8.7 assists in ’98.
Hornacek was notoriously flustered by Scottie Pippen’s length knocking down just 37 percent of his field goal attempts in ’97 and a slightly improved 41 percent in ’98.
Green also struggled to shoot the ball in the 2017 Finals, though it mattered little in the five-game series. The Defensive Player of the Year shot 34 percent from the floor and 28 percent from the three-point line in the Finals while averaging 11.0 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 4.8 assists.
