The San Antonio Spurs had reason to feel crushed after the NBA Finals.
They had beaten the previous champions to get there, led the scoreboard for many minutes, and were close to tying the series 2-2 on the road before another painful fourth-quarter swing.
Those scars may explain why Spurs players left without greeting the Knicks after Game 5, but Draymond Green did not let the moment pass unnoticed.
Draymond Green takes aim at Spurs exit after Game 5 defeat
While speaking on his own YouTube channel, Green said he wanted to see the Spurs stay on the floor and respect the team that had just beaten them.
“I would have loved for the Spurs players to be there and to shake their hand. They walked off, that was disappointing,” the Golden State forward stated.
“The reason it was disappointing is, when you go ‘Mano a mano’, toe to toe, blow for blow with a team and they get the better of you, those that become champions, look them in their eyes and say, ‘Respect, congratulations. Well deserved.’ And then you go to the locker room. That’s what those who become champions do.”
Green then made his point even stronger, mentioning how he sees players who take the Spurs approach.
“Me and AV, one of our assistant coaches, we always say, ‘Look your killer in the face. Look your killer in the face.’ You got to look them in their face. By the way, if you leave the court and I just beat you, I actually know that I own you forever because you couldn’t even look me in the face.”
Victor Wembanyama will learn from criticism
That kind of moment matters more because one of the Spurs’ locker room leaders, Victor Wembanyama, is being backed as the future face of the NBA.
His competitiveness is part of why people admire him, and nobody expects a 22-year-old superstar to handle every defeat perfectly.
Still, the standard will rise with experience. As Wembanyama becomes more mature and seasoned, refusing to acknowledge those who beat him will invite sharper criticism.
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