GOLDEN State Warriors star Draymond Green gave the Dallas Mavericks victory in the 2024 NBA Finals.
The four-time NBA champion came to Inside the NBA to offer his thoughts on Monday’s exciting postseason.
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During his appearance, host Ernie Johnson, 67, asked Green, 34, which team “looks like a champion” after the first month of the NBA playoffs.
And the Warriors forward pointed to the Mavericks, led by Kyrie Irving and 2024 NBA finalist Luka Doncic.
“I think Dallas,” he said.
“Dallas to me is the team that seems most ready to go.
“They got Luka [Doncic] and Kyrie [Irving]. When Luka can’t do it, Kyrie always seems to be able to do it.
“They know what it takes to win, especially Kyrie winning the championship.
“And they have all the pieces in place to do it.”
And NBA Twitter praised Green for his input.
“Looks like he really knows basketball,” one wrote.
“I agree, Draymond,” added another.
“I certainly appreciate Draymond’s sport more than his game,” said a third.
Green made the prediction before the Mavericks lost Game 4 of their Western Conference semifinals series to the Oklahoma City Thunder that night.
OKC rallied after being down for most of the game, overcoming a 14-point deficit.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander inspired the Thunder’s comeback with 34 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks.
Inside the future of the NBA?
The operation of the NBA on TNT Sports is in doubt due to the NBA’s broadcast agreements.
The Emmy-winning sports show is a fan favorite thanks to the likes of Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley.
But TNT’s broadcast deal with the NBA ends after next season and NBC is preparing a bid to take over those rights.
If TNT loses its NBA package, it will raise questions about the popular Inside the NBA.
One solution could be to recreate the show on another network, which would snatch the rights from the NBA.
Meanwhile, Doncic and Irving fought on Monday night.
The Slovenian-born NBA star finished with a triple-double, recording 18 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
But he shot just 6-of-20 (30%) from the field and was 2-of-9 (22.2%) from downtown.
Irving finished the game with nine points, one rebound and nine assists for a rate of 36.4%.
The Mavericks had a chance to tie it at 96-96 with 10.1 seconds left in the game.
But Doncic split two free throws with the entire Dallas team facing a tough night at the line.
The Mavs knocked down just 12 freebies on 23 attempts (52.5), while Oklahoma City shot 23 of 24.
“We just need to work on free throws,” Doncic said after the game. “We got 52% right. That’s unacceptable.”
OKC tied the second round series at 2-2 thanks to the win.
Game 5 takes place Wednesday night in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
