OverDrive - Green on the Raptors' championship rewinds, Siakam leading the Pacers and the Thunder's powerful roster

Episode Date: June 10, 2025

NBA Champion and Analyst Danny Green joined OverDrive to discuss his experience playing in the NBA Finals and the height of the games, the Thunder's skilled pedigree on the roster, the Pacers' balanced roster and Pascal Siakam's elite ceiling, the rewind of the Raptors' championship win and more.

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How you doing Danny? Good, how you guys doing? Appreciate you having me. Yeah, thanks for doing this man. Take us through the mentality of a player multiple days off between games and the NBA finals. Did you like it or were you chomping chopping at the bit I heard you talking about it I think it depends on the situation right your healthy player you want to just

play every other night you know but if you have some injuries bumps and bruises the extra days help especially you know I think the team that's more antsy the team that lost more than anybody but yeah yeah, when you're a young kid, you want to just get out and play. But for older guys that have been around for a long time, have some bumps and bruises, I think they know trying to hydrate and trying to recover and have to play a lot of minutes, I think those days help for sure, especially when traveling too and going from one city to another. So how big are the distractions for a player in the finals?

You get a lot of family members, friends, all that type of stuff reaching out for tickets. Is it, after you get through it, is it frustrating? Is it big distractions or do you have team services people handle it for you? There can be if you allow it. Thankfully, I had organizations that help filter it, to take care of the families, especially in San Antonio and Toronto. L.A. were in the bubble, so it was filtered regardless. But yes, they did a good job of handling the families, saying we'll accommodate your families, we'll get a hotel for them, we'll have a plane flying find them out and make sure they're situated which made things easier.

But if you don't have that type of scenario situation, it can very much add up and be a distraction. But you know, pop is like, if you have families, they're sick, keep the kids in a different house, guest house, wherever, don't let them stay with you. They very much wanted no distractions. But it helps you to simplify it because the finals is very select few people that you feel are worthy enough to bring to that type of scenario. During the regular season, hometown, that's where it can be a lot.

But for the most part in the playoffs you have certain people come through, but in the finals it's like, you know, the closest family members and the closest friends. Danny, it's been punch-counterpunch. Do you see that continuing or do you see one of these teams, I kind of, I've had some bad string of predictions here in the last two weeks but I thought OKC would put the pedal down. Do you see one team kind of taking control here or just keep going back and forth? I think OKC, I think this is the first time we see Indiana lose two in a row. I do think they might split this, this stand, this Indiana stand though. I still had OKC in sixth. I still have them in sixth.

I think they win this third game and then the fourth game, I think it's kind of up in there and I think Indiana probably gets that one. Then OKC wins the next two. But yeah, I'm interested to see because OKC doesn't look like the same team that they normally do on the road. You know, they're at home, they're very comfortable, they're usually up 20 plus, 15 plus. On the road it's been close, even when they were in Memphis it was close for them. Minnesota was a little different, but Denver was very up and down as well.

I won seven games. So yes, they are young. They lack some experience and some maturity. But as they're going with each game, they're growing and getting more mature. But because of the lack of experience and lack of maturity, this will go longer games than it should because honestly I think they're just a better team but as good as they are they have some vulnerability and some lapses so but I do think they get game three.

With Danny Green NBA champ former Raptor and Shay you know is obviously a huge story up here being Canadian he's from Hamilton right down the road and he's he's got a chance to do something The very few players have ever done, you know when the MVP of the regular season Probably finals You know championship as well you kind of get the three big ones in one year man, that doesn't happen often What do you see out of his game like at this platform it's only two games you know he's shooting a lot like game one he shot a lot didn't shoot very efficiently but he's shooting a lot he's put he seems comfortable from my

standpoint but what do you see out of Shea that would suggest you know the brightest lights of his career have not affected him. He's just so mature man he's beyond his years and he's been like that for the last two years or so. Just a very good talented player and shooting that's what he does he is what they you know a lot of things go through him he's making the decisions shots passes playmaking he did a lot of that in game two regardless he shot a lot not he still scored a good amount in game one too but that's their identity and he's a very good player very good star consistent just mentally strong tough yeah I'm seeing a lot of great things from him especially his first time being in the finals you

know he's being a leader I expected to see more from the other guys Chet especially in game one he did better in game two but Jalen Williams also hasn't shot it Efficient or hasn't had it one of those games yet a game two was good for them, but they're just so good They're a team that doesn't have to make adjustments They didn't make adjustments and they were still up 20 and those adjustments I don't think helped them much because they did get out rebounded in game one But they could win with whatever lineup they want to have out there and with their guys not playing the best basketball You know, they were beating them three and a half quarters and game one until the last six minutes or so last four or five minutes

So yes, they're clearly the better team. They just Said they need those other guys to step up. Michelle's been unbelievable leader for them You know this postseason with Danny green and you know on the other side of of it obviously tyrese halibut it's been outstanding throughout this run uh... but so is pascal you know pascal siakam is a guy that you want a title with the nineteen and he was young and you know but he put up big big numbers and in the finals he really continued elevate remember game one he was unbelievable in that game against the wars and uh... i'm curious you know what you see out of Pascal today

You know six years later in the NBA finals that maybe you didn't see in 19 or your thought was coming like you keep using The term, you know mature and maturation. We saw it coming for sure. Yeah, it's all coming. He had a great Run with us and you know people have been doubting him ever since because they he's been looked at He's so good. You can look at us supposed to be the number one, the head of the snake. And I think he is. I think it's a two-headed snake over there. It's him and Tyrese, but I think he's the most stable guy that they've had throughout the season and playoffs.

Tyrese is very good and he is the moment. And he lives in it and he's made some big shots. But Pascal I think has been their backbone. And he's been the guy that can rely on night in night out to give them what they need offensively and even defensively you know he's versatile but they have a great roster they have some good depth but I think it starts with him when he comes out aggressive they're just a different team and obviously they need Tyrese to be aggressive too but he's been the guy and the reason why he won Eastern Conference Finals MVP because he's been so consistent and he's been the backbone of that group with Danny Green

So you can can you settle this for us because up here in Toronto? We've been living off this since 19 when you know Kawhi left to the Clippers and then you left to the Lakers and we look back on what van fleet is becoming Ananobis in New York and see I can still doing it if you return to Kawhi returned Let's say you guys stuck around for another three-year window. Do you think you would have won another championship with the Raptors? That would have been out of that would mean that our Toronto team would have probably faced the Lakers in the finals Minus myself That would have been a tough matchup. I

Think in that three-year span we would have got one more. I think we would have got one more. Because the next finals or the next winners was Denver and Milwaukee, right? I think we were good enough to beat Milwaukee. Well Phoenix would have came out of the west. We would have beaten I think the following year it's Phoenix. And then Denver came out of, it was Denver and Miami. I think we could have definitely made it to the finals probably twice and got one of them. So yeah, if, that's a big if. You know, a lot of things had to change for that to happen.

But yeah, we had a good group, man. You forget, you forget Norm. Norm was on that group. Fred, Kalo, like OG didn't even play for us. He was hurt now. We got a healthy that gives us more depth Like we would have been a really good team, you know surge marcos hall. So we had a really good group Yeah, it was an unbelievable run and you know I've kind of used that comparison with the way the paces have been kind of rolling through the east and You know different styles and different structure, but you guys

You know, I believe you were the two seed that year and you know you beat I remember you lost against Orlando in game one and then you kind of smacked them around the first round and then that unbelievable series against Philly and then obviously do what you do against Milwaukee but once it got to the finals like the rest of the NBA was like well now you got the Warriors like now you can't beat these guys you know do you see that with Indiana where we keep doubting them and it's like, you know, why do we keep doubting them?

Like why can't they win the NBA championship? For sure. Um, I will say we did have a little help on our side from the basketball guys. Not that we would have wanted any other way. Like obviously we wanted it differently. We wanted everybody to be healthy. We played at a Golden State team that didn't have Kevin Durant, you know, and then Clay ended up getting hurt in game six, but that was kind of over. So yeah, it's tough to get there and it's tough to stay healthy and get there.

Would it be different if we played a full healthy Golden State team? Who knows? Possibly. They're a very good team. Some people consider them a cheap team, but anything happens once you get there and that's why I say, and that's why a lot of people are telling a lot of stars stay in the East. They need you have a better opportunity or even coaches. You've got opportunity to get now and get to the finals in the East and once you get there you just never know what's going to happen. You know anybody can get hot teams may not be fully healthy. So yes.

So back to your point. I'm sorry. So yes. So, back to your point, I'm sorry, the question was, you were talking about. Just about the Pacers and the Raptors and the comparison about kind of sneaking up on teams. I think they have a, people will count them out, but there's always a possibility. I think there's always a chance, like I said, them stealing game one,

nobody predicted that. Now they have home court advantage. They go back to Indiana now and they can, even if they split, that still gives them a chance. They can just wear it down. I think they have more veteranship. They have more experience than OKC does. They have the older group of guys and a couple guys that Costco has been there and they have some other guys that were at Eastern Conference finals last year. This is the first time OKC has made it past the second round, if I'm not mistaken, in a while, since Kevin

Durant, Russ and James Harden days. So yeah, this is new territory for that young group. So Danny, you've been around the game a long time. What was your reaction to the Dauntridge Traits? From the outside, it was crazy. From the inside, you talked to a lot of players you know well what was your reaction to that my reaction was the same as you guys i found out the same way you guys did

uh... shock the hell out of me so i i thought shams was hacked i've definitely was about to call him a couple times i didn't believe it even when i saw my nathers can be real at the here from shams is like his mouth I have to see him on TV and say yeah, this is me. This is real because I didn't believe it and Yeah, I mean just go show you anything that happened in this game in today's world But as everybody else suspected and as I expect I suspect is that it came from above

you know from up top and a lot of things change when Cuban left and so and you know good for later I thought this was a play for both teams that got what they wanted you know Dallas wanted to win now AD can play the four now with great bigs behind them you know conveniently lucky get them one pick in the trap no you know Luca goes to LA where you know they get a another LeBron type situation they the atom from longer years long to make a build around and so i thought was a great play for both organizations of what they wanted one one never now one one long-term longevity of

having a team that would be in the playoffs and be a contender if you've got surrounded by people uh... well listen danny it's been great catching up with you man we had you in your in studio when you first got to try that's a long time ago now man but Yeah, appreciate you guys man, thank you good enjoy the playoffs man good luck. I hope to see you guys soon I hope your prediction will go better old dog. Yeah He's do believe me thanks Danny appreciate it. Thanks Danny. Appreciate you guys. Take it easy. There is Danny green NBA champ former Raptor From dance anthems to pop icons Let's celebrate diversity and love

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