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"It should be hard" - Draymond Green blasts complaints about NBA Finals being too physical
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- "It should be hard" - Draymond Green blasts complaints about NBA Finals being too physical
The 2026 NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks are treating basketball fans to the highest level of excitement imaginable. From comeback victories and epic storylines to countless celebrities sitting courtside, and even the sitting President of the United States and lifelong Knicks fan Donald Trump drawing attention to the series, it has quickly become one of the best things that has happened to the NBA in a long time.
However, apart from all the excitement and maybe just a little bit of chaos off the court, the battles on the hardwood have been just as intense.
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Obviously, neither the Spurs nor the Knicks wants to go down without a proper fight. Both teams have been trading blows and playing right on the upper limit of physicality. And while some believe things have gone too far, Draymond Green sees it differently.
The four-time NBA champion believes this is exactly how basketball should be played, especially when the Larry O'Brien Trophy is on the line.
"1,000% You want physicality. There is no such thing as too physical, by the way," Green said in his recent appearance on "The Kevin O'Connor Show."
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"It's no such thing as too physical. That's what you want. It's the NBA Finals. We are competing for something, we are fighting for something. It's the ultimate prize and we are one step away. It should be physical, it should be hard. If it wasn't hard, anybody could do it," Dray reiterated.
A physical series
Green, who is also known for a style of play that often flirts with the line of what many consider dirty, knows exactly what it takes to win at the highest level.
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The stakes are now at their highest, and the losing team is just one subpar series away from walking away empty-handed. Even after a long road to the Finals, when fatigue starts kicking in, that is usually when it becomes most important to show who is willing to be more physical. More often than not, the stronger side finds a way to impose its will.
Green always thrived in those kinds of environments, especially during his physical prime, and believes the teams that embrace that reality are usually the ones left standing at the end.
"It's why I always loved the playoffs more than the regular season... The game gets more physical, I become a much better player," the Golden State Warriors enforcer added.
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We have seen Victor Wembanyama trying to bully Jalen Brunson . We have seen the pesky Knicks guards trying to get underneath Wemby's skin, and, well, his long legs. We have seen countless shoving matches and extra contact that has brought back some of the physicality that defined previous eras of basketball. And basketball fans love it.
One win away from basketball immortality
After rallying from a 29-point deficit to win Game 4 and take a commanding 3-1 series lead, the Knicks are now just one victory away from capturing their first championship since 1973.
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Everybody has contributed to putting New York in this position, but now is not the time to relax or move away from what has worked so well throughout the series.
There have been 37 instances of a team taking a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals, and only one has ever managed to lose the series from that position. You guessed it, it was Green's Warriors.
If the Knicks want to find themselves on the right side of the history books, they will have to continue bringing that same physicality and intensity that got them here in the first place. The finish line is here; they just have to run past it.
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Related: Victor Wembanyama gets pelted with eggs after Knicks' historic comeback
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jun 12, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
