The Golden State Warriors are a tight bunch, and they’ve showed that they are the best team in the NBA throughout the regular season. Even though the playoffs, they’ve shown that they’ve got guys who can step up when their leader Stephen Curry sits with an injured knee.
In Game 1 of the Warriors-Blazers series, Draymond Green helped the Dubs to a 118-106 win with 23 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists in 37 minutes. It was another solid all-around for Green, who’s had a bunch of those this season, including 13 triple doubles during the regular season. After the game, however, teammate Andrew Bogut seemed to have forgotten about LeBron James, because he gave Green a title that has long belonged to the King.
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Andrew Bogut after Game 1 of GSW-POR: "Draymond Green is probably the best all around player in the league."
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) May 1, 2016
Yeah, Bogut called Green the best all around player in the league. Green has been playing at an incredible pace this season while putting up very impressive numbers, but let’s not gets too ahead of ourselves here. Draymond Green gets to rack up those sweet numbers because he’s playing in an incredible system with two of greatest shooters in the history of the NBA knocking down shots. They force and shift defenses incredibly while playing the power forward spot for a team that’s basically made the rest of the NBA to play small ball against them to try and beat them.
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They did win the NBA Championship last season, but James lit them up for 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 8.8 assists a game and almost helped lead a short-handed Cavaliers team to a championship. Without a combined 38.1 points, 12.9 rebounds, 7.4 assists, and 2.2 steals per game (21.7 points, 3,2 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.5 steals from Kyrie Irving) and (16.4 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 0.7 steals from Kevin Love), James put up two triple-doubles, four near-triple doubles, and got two wins away from Cleveland’s first NBA Championship. Green showed up too for the healthy Warriors squad, averaging 13 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 5.0 assists, but didn’t and would not have produced like James did. James also shot better than Green from the field and from downtown for what it’s worth.
This postseason, LeBron James has averaged 22.8 points, 9.0 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.8 steals on 48.7% from the field while Green put up 14.8 points, 10.2 rebounds, 7.3 assist, and 1.3 steals on 44.1% shooting. James has continued to draw all the attention of the defenses while creating for himself and his teammates. He’s also taken a back-seat to be the second and even the third option to Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, which is something that’s easy to do. If you were to switch Green and LeBron James, this Cavs team would have to try and operate very differently and very likely would not be a 50+ win team or a championship contender. That’s not a knock on the Cavs by any means, but it simply goes to show just how much LeBron does and what his skillset brings to a team that’s struggled without the King.
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James is 11th in all time points with 26,833, 99th in all time rebounds with with 7,067, 18th in all time assists with 6,815, 24th in all time steals with 1,657, and 137th in all time blocks with 773. When you think about the numbers the guy puts up considering the incredible guards, forwards, and centers that have played in the NBA, it’s hard to say that anyone else trumps him.
Draymond, you’re a great all around player, but LeBron is the greatest all around player in NBA history.