The Golden State Warriors have been the class of the NBA for five years, winning three championships in four seasons. They are 15-7 in the NBA Finals in that span, all of which were against LeBron James.
The Warriors are a near lock for the Finals every year, and this year their eyes are almost squarely on the Celtics. After beating the Wizards Thursday night, Draymond Green gave his take on a Celtics team he will face this Saturday.
The Celtics are 30-18 and sit in fifth place in the Eastern Conference. The first place Tornto Raptors have taken over as the favorites to play Golden State in the Finals, but Green knows what wins in the playoffs.
He also told Sam Amick in late October the Celtics were the Warriors' biggest threat to break up a potential three-peat.
I just think with the tools that they have, and the way the game is set up today, with small-ball and all that stuff, Al Horford can switch onto guards. That would be their five in that lineup. And then obviously, you’ve got Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward, Kyrie (Irving), Terry Rozier, Marcus Smart, Marcus Morris.
He isn't the only member of the Warriors to feel this way about the Celtics. Kevin Durant praised the Celtics' depth as well as Al Horford, a common theme in Golden State's opinions of this Boston team.
They’ve got a deep team. They’ve got a collection of talented scorers where it’s going to be hard to switch guys on. They’ve got a big man (in Horford) who can facilitate like Draymond. They’ve got a great coach (in Brad Stevens), a great atmosphere, a great home court advantage, and they’ve got a lot of length. Those are usually [one of] the teams that give us trouble.
The Celtics have earned the respect of the Warriors over the last four years. No other team has put up the kind of fight Boston has against Golden State.
However, not every Warriors player thinks the Celtics will be their opponent come June. Klay Thompson said his team's November matchup with the Raptors could be a "preview of June."
The Celtics will have a chance not only to confirm the Warriors' respect of them as title contenders, but convince the rest of the league how their ceiling is as high as the two-time defending champions.
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