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Draymond Green Reveals Who His Biggest Rival Always Has Been

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By JH Kubicek | Last updated Apr 3, 2025 3:40 PM ET

Draymond Green, on the court, seemingly has an endless list of rivals and enemies. Rudy Gobert, Jusuf Nurkic, officials, Jordan Poole, LeBron James, and Steven Adams have all been on the receiving end of verbal abuse or physicality.

However, Green recently revealed that one person motivates him to unlock a new level of defensive intensity, and this person has never shared a court with Green.

From 2015-17, the Warriors met the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Finals three times, capping off four series in a row. The Dubs won three of them.

One of the Cavaliers' most important leaders has always rubbed Green the wrong way.

“When I’m playing against his teams, I feel like it’s a chess match with me and him," said Green of Tyronn Lue in an interview with The Athletic's Marcus Thompson III.

Lue coached Cleveland for three years before taking over for the Los Angeles Clippers, where he has spent the last five seasons.

The Warriors are just a half-game ahead of the Clippers in the standings and will end their seasons against each other, in a game that could determine who makes the playoffs and who makes the Play-In.

Green sees himself as an on-court counter to Lue's offensive schemes.

“I want everything that y’all thought y’all was going to come in this game and do, I want to take all of that s— off the table," Green said. "That’s why I talk to the coaches so much."

Before taking on the Clippers, Green and the Warriors have six games, including a Thursday matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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