“Their dominance made them one of the easiest targets in the league for hate (or the villain’s label), and much of that was understandably directed at Draymond Green,” Bailey wrote.
“Like Beverley, he played—and usually still plays—with an intensity that has often boiled over into controversy.”
Bailey noted Green’s controversial swipe at LeBron James in the 2016 NBA Finals that led to a one-game suspension and played a big role in the Warriors’ collapse in the series. Green also had “numerous examples of him kicking opponents” and had been fined close to $1 million in total, Bailey added.
The fact that the Warriors so often ended up on top made Green even more hated, he added.
“In a story, the villain isn’t worth much if you know the hero is just going to squash him. With Draymond, that’s never felt like a possibility,” Bailey wrote.
The NBA seems to lean into the storyline as well. After the Warriors defeated the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA playoffs, Green and Jay Morant got into an extended spat on social media. The league gave the budding rivalry a top billing for next season, scheduling the Grizzlies to visit the Warriors in a Christmas Day matchup.
Warriors Play Role of Villain
It’s not just Green that has been pegged as a villain. Back in December, when the Warriors had jumped out to a 21-5 record but still months before they would dispatch the Boston Celtics for a fourth title in eight years, reporter Dalton Johnson wrote that the team was back to being the NBA’s “biggest villain .”
During that early stretch, the Warriors regained their old form and Steph Curry even heard “MVP” chants in road arenas.
“Like so many other Warriors opponents this season, whether at home in San Francisco or on the road, Curry is the coming attraction. The home team much of the time is second fiddle to Steph and his Warriors teammates,” the NBC Sports Bay Area reporter noted. “And Golden State’s opponents are already sick of it.”
“The Warriors once again are the NBA’s biggest villains, even with the lovable Curry and the eventual return of Klay Thompson, who might be the most universally liked athlete on the planet right now. That’s beautiful for the Warriors and the entire NBA, too.”
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