Draymond Green Calls Out Knicks for NBA Finals vs Spurs
The New York Knicks are back in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999, and are looking to capture the team’s first championship since 1973.
With an impressive 11-game playoff winning streak, fans are celebrating the team’s return and firmly believe they will now claim the Larry O’Brien Trophy. They’ll face a young, less-experienced San Antonio Spurs team that fought through seven games to defeat the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
That could give a veteran Knicks squad an advantage, and, based on their playoff run, many believe they’re the better team.
However, Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green says to pump the brakes on the early celebration because he doesn’t believe the Knicks accomplished much in reaching the Finals.
“I double down on this! Just like Becky Hammon said, prove me wrong. Prove me wrong,” Green said, sounding off on “The Draymond Green Show.”
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“Getting out of the East has never been a surefire way to winning a championship. What y’all talkin’ about? You get out of the East, you’re just supposed to get out of the East. It’s the [expletive] East,” he said.
“You should be able to get out of the East,” Green said, also adding, “Happy for Mike Brown by the way.”
In reaching the NBA Finals, the New York Knicks seemingly flipped a switch late in their first series, defeating the Atlanta Hawks 4-2 with multiple dominant wins.
From there, they eliminated Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers in a four-game sweep. Then they did the same to Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals.
While those are no easy feats, many point out that the Hawks weren’t necessarily a star-powered contender. In addition, the Knicks avoided playing the No. 2 seed Boston Celtics because Jayson Tatum sat out Game 7 against the 76ers, which the Celtics lost.
Basically, the argument is that the Knicks didn’t have to play or defeat either of the top two seeds in the conference. However, they’ve built momentum and confidence heading into a series against a Spurs team that, while young, just went to the limits in seven games against OKC.
The NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs tip off at 8:40 p.m. ET on Wednesday, June 3.
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This story was originally published June 1, 2026 at 7:12 AM.