Warriors star Draymond Green learned a valuable lesson in the 2016 NBA Finals, but he doesn't regret how things unfolded.
Instead, the four-time All-Star believes he got what he deserved as he watched Golden State's 3-1 series lead get ripped away from them by LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. While he said he doesn't dwell too much on the outcome, he is remorseful about one single thing.
"If anything I regret, there were some guys on that team that didn't get the opportunity to win a championship because of my emotions," Green said on a recent episode of "Podcast P with Paul George." "And if I have one regret about the situation, it's that those guys who never got another chance to win. That burns me."
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Green was suspended for Game 5 of the Finals after the NBA issued him a flagrant foul for making "unnecessary contact" with LeBron James' groin following an altercation that unraveled in Game 4. The call was upgraded to a flagrant foul, which put him over the limit for flagrant foul points.
He then had to watch his team lose Game 5 from the sidelines, which sparked the unforgettable series comeback win by the Cavaliers who won three straight games on their way to being crowned champions.
"I had to come to terms with in the end, I got what I deserved because I let my emotions get the best of me," Green said. "I responded in a way to something that I shouldn't respond to like that at that moment and I did, I stand on it, it is what it is. ... But in letting my emotions get the best of me the way I did, that's something I've struggled with since I was a kid."
Golden State Warriors
Green had one of the best games of his career in Game 7, falling just short of a triple-double with 32 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists. He remains confident that had the Warriors won that game and eventually the Finals, he would have been the 2016 Finals MVP.
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While he doesn't hesitate to point the finger at himself, Green admitted that it remains one of the greatest "what-ifs" in his life.
"Oher than that I'm appreciative of the lesson," Green said. "Always having to hear the 3-1 s--t sucks, but I earned it, I deserved it."
Green, 33, just agreed to a four-year, $100 million contract with the Warriors to stay in the Bay. And with all things considered, there's still plenty of time to redeem himself.