Danny Green was called for a foul on the play in which Klay Thompson tore his ACL back in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals, and the now-Philadelphia 76ers forward told Yahoo! Sports' Chris Haynes that he wishes he could have that sequence back.
“If I can take that play back, I would,” Green told Haynes on Sunday night. “No one wants to see a great player go down, and no one wants to be the cause of that. It wasn't intentional. I’m glad that he’s back. The game has missed him.”
Green and the Toronto Raptors went on to win that game and clinch the 2019 NBA Championship, while Thompson went on the shelf for 941 days until he finally was announced in the Warriors' starting lineup ahead of Sunday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Chase Center.
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SIGN UP HERE The veteran also opened up to Haynes about the initial backlash from fans and players after Thompson went down, and how he felt after learning the diagnosis for Klay.
“When it first happened, I thought I blocked the ball,” Green told Yahoo Sports. “I thought it was a clean block and then he went down, I was like, ‘Man, he’s hurt. Let me make sure he’s OK.’ Some of the guys on the sidelines were upset. A lot of fans were upset. Obviously, I got a lot of backlash for it. But I'm trying to make a clean play on the ball, and I just wanted to make sure he was good. ... And then he came back on the court to shoot his free throws, and that's when I thought he was fine.
“I didn't know that he tore anything until after the game, which was a tough blow. It was tough to hear what was being said, but I didn't look at myself as the victim. My concern was for him. Their fans are great fans. They’re going to encourage their team. And anybody that tries to hurt or do anything to the other 10 or 13 players, they're gonna fight for them. So, I got some heated emotions from some of the fans, but every time I've spoken about the incident, I've stated that it was not purposeful at all.”
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Since that play, Green has won another NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers during the bubble completing the 2019-20 season. Green has been a critical part of the 76ers' rotation over the past two seasons.
Thompson had a triumphant return Sunday night, scoring 17 points in 20 minutes and even delivering an impressive poster dunk to show he has no ill effects from the multiple major lower-body injuries he has dealt with over the last two years.
There likely isn't any bad blood between Green and Thompson at this point, and it is nice to hear how excited Green was to see Klay back on the court.
The two will not meet again this season unless Green changes teams, as the Warriors already have completed their two matchups with Philadelphia.