Dub Hub: Draymond Green claps back at Rasheed Wallace’s 2017 Warriors vs. 2004 Pistons take

Rounding up all Warriors and NBA related news for Tuesday, June 4th.

In today’s Dub Hub:

• Draymond Green responds to Rasheed Wallace’s bold claim about a matchup between the 2004 Pistons and the 2017 Warriors.
• Tim Kawakami discusses Jonathan Kuminga and other playoff observations in his latest article for The Athletic.
• The Ringer’s Howard Beck deep dives into the Mavs’ backcourt pairing of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

Another legendary team has come out to say they would definitively beat the 2017 Golden State Warriors. Rasheed Wallace, a key starter during the Detroit Pistons’ championship run in 2004, says his NBA Finals team would have “beat the sh*t” out of Golden State at their peak.

Wallace’s teammate, former All-Star shooting guard Richard Hamilton, took the hypothetical matchup even further, explaining that the Pistons would win the series due to “a lot of mismatches” in favor of Detroit.

While the 2004 Pistons are considered one of the best defensive teams of all-time, the 2017 Warriors are considered one of the best overall teams ever created. With a prime Splash Brothers in the backcourt, a perennial defensive player of the year candidate in Draymond Green, key role players like Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston, and not to forget, a four-time scoring champion and MVP in Kevin Durant — let’s just say there’s a reason everyone claims this era of the Warriors’ dynasty “ruined the NBA”. Of course, Green — a Detroit native and a big Pistons fan growing up — wasn’t going to let Wallace’s comment slide without a rebuttal.

For more on this and other news around the NBA, here is our latest news round-up for Tuesday, June 4th:

Warriors News:

Draymond Green to Rasheed Wallace: “We would’ve smacked yall”

Jonathan Kuminga’s Jaylen Brown comp, more size and other playoff points for the Warriors | The Athletic

But the Warriors need to be looking for another shot-blocker and rim-runner to be part of a backline tag team with TJD, because they can’t count on doing it exactly the same way they did it for a decade. They can still go small at times with Draymond next to Kuminga and Wiggins. But they could also deploy an active 7-footer behind Kuminga and Wiggins or line up Draymond with a pure shot-blocker behind him. They did it when Draymond was young with Andrew Bogut and then in Draymond’s prime with JaVale McGee. But at crunch time, it was always Draymond at center, drawing the opponent center into a pick-and-roll with Curry and letting all offensive mayhem break loose.

It almost always worked. It’s not working as much these days, and there’s not a lot of reason to believe it will work any better in 2024-25. It’s time for the Warriors to get a little more conventional and bigger at center, and if that cuts into Draymond’s minutes even more (down to 27.1 minutes per in 2023-24, his lowest since he became a starter his third season), well, that’s already happening, too.

NBA Finals: 8 things the Celtics have in common with past champions | NBA

3. Elite defense

Why this trait matters: Over the past decade, only two champions – the 2023 Nuggets and 2018 Warriors – have won the title while finishing the regular season with a defense ranked outside of the top 10. Six of the past 10 champions boasted top-five defense.

This is similar to: The 2017 and 2022 Warriors. Both those Golden State championship teams finished the regular season ranked second in defensive efficiency – which is where the 2024 Celtics finished, allowing 110.6 points per 100 possessions.

Mbappé draws KD comparisons after Real Madrid move | NBC Sports Bay Area

The comparison is interesting, it should be noted Durant joined a Warriors team that had just lost the NBA Finals, while Mbappé is joining a Madrid side that just captured the world’s most prestigious club trophy without his services.

However Durant did join a team with reigning MVP in Steph Curry, and Mbappé is joining a squad with multiple Ballon d’Or contenders in Vinicius Jr. and Jude Bellingham.

Jonathan Kuminga posts offseason training highlights

NBA News:

NBA Finals 2024: The twists and turns that led Jrue Holiday back to the Finals | ESPN

WITHIN A COUPLE of days of the initial Lillard trade, two teams emerged as favorites to land Holiday: The Celtics and the LA Clippers. Both teams were on Holiday’s list.

The Clippers had been aggressively looking for a point guard for months, ironically nearly coming to a deal with Boston for Malcolm Brogdon around the draft in June. To get Holiday, they were willing to send multiple first-round picks and expiring contracts that would help clean the Blazers’ books. But Portland pushed for more, looking for draft pick swaps and having those selections be unprotected.

The Clippers’ proposal drew out the type of strong offer from the Celtics that Portland was hoping for. The Celtics, heavily committed to going all-in on the short term after trading for Kristaps Porzingis earlier in the offseason, came with a bid the Clippers couldn’t match.

The Celtics also offered two first-round picks, their own in 2029 and a 2024 Golden State Warriors selection that ended up becoming a lottery pick — one Boston had gotten from the Memphis Grizzlies in the three-team deal that also landed them Porzingis.

Are Luka and Kyrie Really the Best Offensive Backcourt Ever? | The Ringer

No, Doncic and Irving have not won a title together (yet). No, they will likely never be considered great “two-way” players. No, they might never reach the heights of some guard-center tandems (Magic and Kareem, Kobe and Shaq). And they’ve been teammates for just 16 months. Longevity matters when we’re discussing legacies and rankings and superlatives. Defense matters. Success matters. It’s fair to wonder whether the whole discussion is premature.

But Van Gundy never claimed that Doncic and Irving were the greatest backcourt he’d ever seen, just the most talented offensively—a case they keep making, night after night, in this postseason. And, starting Thursday, a case they’ll try to make on the NBA’s grandest stage.

Mavs’ Kyrie Irving shares how the late great Kobe Bryant still influences his life

In case you missed it at Golden State of Mind:

Will the Olympics help or hurt the Warriors?

Still and all, I view the Olympics as more of an opportunity for growth for Curry and Kerr. No, it probably won’t be the recruiting trip that it sometimes serves for stars and for coaches, but there’s a lot to learn by being around other elite talent. Kerr will see the offenses that other star players function in — while working with other high-level coaches — and get a chance to evolve both his X’s and O’s and his management. Curry will surely pick up certain things from playing alongside other superstars, and against new defensive schemes. And while flying to Paris, staying away from home, and playing intense games will no doubt be taxing, the potential to win gold medals and accomplish a huge life goal and personal achievement might be more invigorating than draining.

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