Warriors: Draymond Green sounds relieved to be facing Celtics and not LeBron James

Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green admitted there’s no comparison to facing LeBron James in the NBA Finals, despite the Celtics’ push.

Green isn’t afraid to speak his mind, even when it might get him in trouble. This time, however, it’s tough to blame him for his comments.

Prior to Game 6 on Thursday night, Green was asked how this NBA Finals compares to his previous matchups against LeBron James. The Dubs have defeated James’ Cavaliers, but they’ve also been on the other side of things, blowing a 3-1 lead in the 2016 Finals.

“It doesn’t compare. He is arguably the smartest guy to set foot on a basketball court. To say that it compares to that, it’s disrespectful to LeBron and it’s a lie to you,” Green admitted.

Draymond Green: No comparison to facing LeBron James

That shouldn’t be taken as a major insult to the Celtics. They remain a young team, and this is likely not their last Finals run. Pushing a proven champion like the Warriors to six or even seven games is an accomplishment in itself. Defeating the Dubs altogether is what legends are made of.

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are All-Stars in the making. Some think Tatum is already among the best players in basketball, and they are not wrong. But let’s get something straight — James is in a stratosphere very view NBA players ever reach.

The Michael Jordan comparisons are real, and regardless which side of that fence you stand on, the fact it’s even a conversation is astounding.

These Celtics are good — perhaps even great, depending on how the next few games go — but they are not LBJ great.