NBA News Roundup: Draymond Green reacts to Heat players calling him out, Steph Curry praises Celtics ahead of the NBA Finals, and more | May 31st, 2022
The 2022 NBA Finals are set as the Golden State Warriors will take on the Boston Celtics.
The Warriors are back in the NBA Finals for the first time since 2019, but have been in this position six times in the last eight seasons. Meanwhile, the Celtics are making their first NBA Finals appearance since 2010.
Ahead of Game 1 on June 2, Draymond Green has responded to the Miami Heat players calling him out after Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Steph Curry also shared his thoughts on their NBA Finals opponents three days before the opening tip.
Here is the latest NBA rumors roundup for May 31, 2022 brought to you by Sportskeeda.
Draymond Green responds to Heat players' comments about him
Draymond Green has finally responded to the Miami Heat players who called him out after Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Udonis Haslem and P.J. Tucker were very upset about Green picking the Boston Celtics as the Golden State Warriors' opponent for the 2022 NBA Finals.
Here's what Green had to say about Haslem and Tucker's comments:
"It was exciting to know that people pay that much attention to my words and what I say. Wow. They really watched what I had to say and that motivated them? I'm getting better at this motivational thing. That's great."
“It was exciting to know that people pay that much attention to my words and what I say. Wow. They really watched what I had to say and that motivated them? I’m getting better at this motivational thing. That’s great,” @Money23Green to @andscape on the Heat being motivated by him
Unfortunately for the Heat, they were unable to defeat the Celtics in Game 7 at home. Boston managed a 100-96 win last Sunday to advance to their first NBA Finals since 2010. Jayson Tatum was named the Larry Bird MVP of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Steph Curry has nothing but praise for Boston Celtics
Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry had nothing but praise for the young Boston Celtics team he and his side are set to face in the 2022 NBA Finals. Curry told reporters (h/t NBC Sports) that after several up-and-down seasons from the Celtics, the team finally put it together to be on the biggest stage in basketball.
"Obviously a great team, they're in the Finals. They've had a group together, gone through a lot in the last four, five years. Had some success early, had to figure out how to sustain it and now they're here on this stage so it'll be an amazing test," Curry said.
The Warriors are the marginal favorites to win the championship over the Celtics, with Curry as the NBA Finals MVP. However, according to StatMuse, the Celtics are the only team with a winning record against the Warriors since Steve Kerr took over as head coach.
Game 1 of the NBA Finals is on June 2 at the Chase Center in San Francisco.
Steve Kerr compares Marcus Smart to Draymond Green
The 2022 NBA Finals will be a battle between one of the best offensive teams in the Warriors and one of the best defensive teams in the Celtics. Both teams boast Defensive Player of the Year winners in Draymond Green and Marcus Smart.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr went on to compare Smart to his talismanic forward. In a press conference before Game 1 of the NBA Finals (h/t NBC Sports), Kerr discussed what made Smart the DPOY this season and how similar he is to Green. He said:
"His strength and his anticipation, he's got an incredible feel for the game at that end. He's like the guard version of Draymond. He's reading angles, he's guarding all five positions, if he switches on to a five man, he's so strong, he can hold them off. He's quick enough to chase point guards around, big enough to guard wings so he can literally guard 1-5 in the modern game."
"He's like the guard version of Draymond."
Steve Kerr breaks down what makes Marcus Smart so special on defense. https://t.co/EqZRECx3Bg
Jimmy Butler "living with" taking and missing 3-point shot down the stretch against Boston
Jimmy Butler had a chance to tie the game or give the Miami Heat the lead with about 20 seconds left in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Butler opted to go for the lead, but missed a wide-open three-point shot that some fans believe was a bad decision late in the game.
The Boston Celtics went on to win the game 100-96 to eliminate the Miami Heat and advance to the NBA Finals. Despite the criticism he received, Butler has no regrets about taking the shot. He felt like it was the best chance they had to win, so he had to take it and his teammates felt the same way.
Here's what Butler told reporters after the game:
"My thought process was go for the win, which I did. Missed the shot. But I'm taking that shot. My teammates like the shot that I took. So I'm living with it."
"My thought process was 'go for the win,' which I did."
Jimmy Butler doesn't regret his go-ahead 3-point attempt at the end of Game 7. https://t.co/ThVmzZAmNL
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra also supported the decision made by Butler, as per Yahoo! Sports. Spoesltra liked the shot because Butler was open and even thought that the shot would go in.
Erik Spoelsta calls Max Strus' overturned 3-pointer a 'case study' by the NBA
Miami Heat guard Max Strus hit a three-point shot early in the third quarter to trim the Boston Celtics' lead by two points. After two more minutes of actual game time, an official review caught Strus stepping out of bounds before making the three. The score was changed, giving the Celtics an 11-point lead instead of an eight-point advantage.
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters after the game (h/t ESPN) that he was shocked by the decision to take away the three points after several minutes of action. Spoelstra added that the Heat did not lose the game because of it, but wants the league to use the incident as a "case study" for future references.
"We were starting to gain some momentum. You feel like it's a seven-, eight-point game and you look up and it's a 13-point game, and there's no other explanation for it other than it's gone back to the league offices."
He went on to say:
"You feel like if it happens like that, it should happen immediately and you can adjust accordingly... I'm sure they will look at that, and we'll probably be the case study for it."
The Heat clawed their way back into the game from that position but ended up losing 100-96.