The NBA Finals date back to 1947 (when they were known as the Basketball Association of America Finals) and the very 1st NCAA tourney was held in 1939. Olympic basketball competition is even older: it debuted as a demonstration event in 1904, and the men’s version became a medal sport in 1936, with the women finally getting their chance to go for the gold in 1976. The United States has dominated Olympic basketball competition from the start: the men have now won 17 gold medals in the 20 tournaments they have participated in during the past 88 years, while the women have won 10 gold medals in the 12 tournaments in which they have competed during the past 48 years. While we must wait 3 years until the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel will fill the void by interviewing as many prior Olympic players/coaches as possible. We continue our coverage by chatting with Kevin Danna (play-by-play announcer for the Santa Cruz Warriors/Golden State Valkyries) about Draymond Green’s dominant defense and the gold medals he won in 2016/2020.
Draymond played basketball at Michigan State, where he made 2 Final 4s and was named Big 10 tourney MOP/consensus All-American as a senior: why was he still available when Golden State was picking 35th in the 2012 NBA Draft, and how excited were they to select him? He got drafted a few months before I was hired. In 2012 people were stuck in positional thinking: was he a SF/PF/other? A lot of guys today are not 3s or 4s but rather “3½s”. He did not fit into the prototype of a specific position.
In Game 6 of the 2015 Finals vs. Cleveland, he became the 6th player to ever record a triple-double in a Finals-clinching game (joining Magic Johnson/Larry Bird/James Worthy/Tim Duncan/LeBron James): was it just another great performance or did it transform the way that everyone viewed him? I watched that game on the big screen at Oracle when the team let a bunch of fans in to watch. I did not even realize that he had a triple-double and cannot remember much from that game besides them winning the title. I think he signed his 1st big contract right after that season: some people wondered if he would go back to his home state to play for the Pistons, so it was a relief when he decided to stay.
In 2016 he became the 1st player in NBA history to record 1000+ PTS/500+ REB/500+ AST/100+ STL/100+ BLK in 1 season: do you consider him to be a “unicorn”? He is 1 of the smartest basketball players at any level. That was his most statistically-dominant season: his numbers went down after they acquired Kevin Durant, but his IQ has a lot to do with his success.
Even though he stands just 6’6”, he played as an undersized center for Steve Kerr’s “Death Lineup” that made 5 straight NBA Finals from 2015-2019: what made that lineup so effective? They were so good defensively: in addition to Draymond, Andre Iguodala was a fantastic defender, neither Durant/Curry were slouches on defense, and at that time Klay Thompson was 1 of the best 2-way players in the league. Draymond/Andre did not shoot as much then, but the other 3 guys spread the floor so much that opponents could not stop it. I remember 1 game against Indiana where they had a full-court over-the-shoulder alley-oop that caused Durant to raise his eyebrows! They would start the 3rd quarter and a 2-possession game would become a 7-possession game in 2 minutes.
Those lineups included 2 of the most incredible teams in the history of the sport (the 2016 team that set a regular-season record by going 73-9, and the 2017 team that set a postseason record by going 16-1): which 1 impressed you the most? The 2016 team did not win the title, but after a a title in 2015 when they beat some teams with injured players like Kyrie Irving/Kevin Love, they came back super-motivated and went 24-0 to start the next season. In Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals, they trailed at OKC in the 4th quarter before getting 1 of the greatest gut-check victories that I have ever seen. Curry was not at 100% during most of the playoffs: I would have loved to see that Finals matchup with Cleveland if Curry was healthy. They went 88-18 that year including the playoffs, which is incredible. The 2017 team had more talent, but the 2016 team was so dominant.
He played for Team USA at the 2016/2020 Olympics: what did it mean to him to represent his country, and what did it mean to him to win a pair of gold medals? If you are a 2-time gold medalist, that is right near the top of a Hall of Fame resume. I know the USA usually wins the gold medal, but it still means that you are considered 1 of the 12 best Americans in the NBA, which is a high honor and a big part of his legacy.
He is a 9-time All-Defensive Team member and was named DPOY in 2017: what is his secret to being a great defender? IQ…and being a 6’6” guy with a 7’3” wingspan! He loves basketball and is a student of the game. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen him disrupt fast breaks that were 2-on-1 or 3-on-1. He would guard big men like Nikola Jokic in a playoff game when they needed a stop, which allowed the Warriors to unlock their small-ball lineups.
Even though he has played with some of the greatest scorers in the history of the sport (such as Steph Curry/Kevin Durant), he is widely viewed as the “heart and soul” of the Warriors: what makes him such a great leader? His voice. He has the ability to rally his teammates as a spiritual leader because he has all the intangibles and has been there before. He plays with so much emotion that he gets the fans going: he wears his heart on his sleeve and can help change the tide of a game. He was a 2nd-round pick and does not have the pedigree of a traditional Hall of Famer, but has grinded his way into an incredible career.
His 23 career ejections rank 2nd in NBA history behind only Rasheed Wallace: how does he walk the fine line between aggressive and dirty? It is a tough line to toe, and he has stepped over the line more than a few times during his career. That is part of the Draymond experience: you do not want to see him ejected or suspended, but he has done a much better job of that during the past couple of years. Sometimes you run hot when you are an incredible competitor: I am not excusing everything that he has done, but it happens from time to time.
He was a 4-time All-Star and won 4 NBA titles during an 8-year span from 2015-2022: do you think that we will see him in the Hall of Fame someday? There might be people who disagree with me, but I do not think there is a doubt that he is a Hall of Famer. The short list of players who were named 10-time all-defensive team (such as Scottie Pippen) has motivated him. I am very biased, but I have watched 95% of his games.
