The Cavaliers and Warriors face each other in four straight Finals from 2015 to 2018. The rivalry between those organizations was so intense that Draymond Green refused to let Chris Haynes around the Warriors because he thought Haynes was a Cavaliers spy sent by LeBron James.
“Draymond was like, ‘I don’t trust you, bro.' I was like, 'What do you mean you don't trust me?' He said, 'You a Cavs spy. LeBron and them sent you over here to spy on us. We ain’t messing with y'all, & Imma make sure nobody talk with you.’ He was dead serious bro. I couldn't believe it.”
The NBA is in an era where team rivalries aren't as cutthroat as they used to be. This is primarily due to the rotating nature of teams in the NBA Finals, with the NBA in its longest active streak of crowning new champions every season with six different teams winning the title since 2019.
Team rivalries won't develop like the Cavs-Warriors did because there's far too much roster turnover and the league as a whole is far too competitive to allow two teams to make the Finals without anyone else getting a shot.
Draymond might be one of LeBron's best friends now, but the pair were acrimonious with each other for the first few years of this Finals rivalry. Calling Haynes a spy for a specific team and player shows the level of paranoia Green was operating on.
Draymond Green Admitted To Intentionally Attacking LeBron In The 2016 NBA Finals
The 2016 NBA Finals are still hotly debated over because of one decision, which was Draymond Green getting suspended for game 5 because of a low blow on LeBron. The intensity of this rivalry was getting out of hand in those Finals, with Green later admitting he intentionally hit LeBron out of frustration.
"I tried to hit LeBron and I got suspended for Game 5 of the Finals... and you damn right I tried to hit him. You step over me I'm a grown *** man. You don't step over my shoulder. There's a lot of space on the basketball court, I don't take up that much space. You don't need to go over my shoulder. You go over my shoulder, you're disrespecting me as a man. And so I got suspended for trying to make contact. But you throw a heating pack on the court and that's okay?"
LeBron had the last laugh, averaging 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 8.9 assists in the 2016 Finals as the Cavaliers became the first team to overturn a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals to win a title. It's the only title James won for the Cavaliers, with Draymond's suspension playing a crucial role in enabling that.
