“I’ve watched that shot over a million times” – Draymond Green on Kawhi Leonard’s buzzer-beater vs 76ers in 2019 playoffs, says Warriors would have won title if “that shot didn’t go in”

Draymond Green commented on Kawhi Leonard’s 2019 playoff buzzer-beater in Tuesday’s episode of “The Draymond Green show” on “The Volume.”

Joining the conversation was Fred VanVleet, the Toronto Raptors point guard and Leonard’s former teammate. During the shot, Freddy stood behind Kawhi and had a unique viewing angle.

Green said:

“I’ve watched that shot over a million times and part due to, I feel like if that shot didn’t go in, we winning the NBA championship.”

Draymond Green on Kawhi Leonard’s clutch 2019 buzzer-beater

Green was referring to the 2019 NBA Finals, in which the Golden State Warriors lost to the Toronto Raptors in six games. Green said he believes his team would have been able to beat the Philadelphia 76ers for the championship had that been the matchup. Instead, Kawhi Leonard’s clutch shot put Toronto in the Finals, eventually bringing demise to Golden State’s reign.

Fred VanVleet talked about his viewing angle from behind Kawhi:

“No, it looked off left. It looked off left. Because I’m looking at it, and you can see it go and look off, like it was going to go off to the left towards the middle of the lane. And once we saw it bounce, bounce twice, it was like, ‘Oh this shit is going in. It’s going in.’ … That was just the craziest amount of emotion.”

During the 2019 NBA Finals, VanVleet averaged 14.0 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists. He dropped a 22-point performance in Game 6 resulting in him earning the NBA Finals MVP award.

Green and his Warriors, on the other hand, were met with a stunning loss. The Warriors had won the previous two NBA championships and were on a hunt for a three-peat. That Leonard shot eventually led to the demise of their reign from arguably one of the greatest squads of the last decade.

For Green to watch any shot “over a million times,” it must have been a good one. This one was both remarkable and frustrating for Draymond. Being able to solidify a three-peat would have made his squad undeniably legendary.

Green had a great six games in the 2019 NBA Finals. Green managed above career averages in every category, scoring 12.5 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 9.3 assists per game during the series. He almost managed a triple-double in one of the most important series of his career. Green knows when and how to show up. Leonard just had different plans.

Still a legendary power forward, Green is a three-time NBA champion, a four-time All-Star, a six-time member of the All-Defensive team and a two-time Olympic gold medalist. He led the league in steals and won Defensive Player of the Year in 2017.

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However, this was not the first time Green suffered a Finals loss. Golden State lost in the 2016 NBA Finals to LeBron James and his Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs defeated Green and his squad in Game 7, winning 93-89. If not for that loss, Green may just have been cursing Leonard for ruining his run of five straight championships.