Boos fuel vintage Draymond Green performance in Warriors' win over Cavs

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If Draymond Green had any confusion about where he stands in Cleveland, he got a reminder Saturday evening. 

Moments before the Warriors' 131-112 win over the Cavs, Green was met with boo's from the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse crowd, providing a reminder of Ohio's sentiments towards the forward. As he slapped hands with teammates, a smile appeared on Green's face, highlighting the forward's unique relationship with opposing arenas. 

"I love that," Green admitted following the win. "To come back here and they still boo me, it's like 'Man, that chapter is over.'" 

Green's statement signified his role as one of Cleveland's biggest adversaries over the last decade. Of his five NBA Finals appearances, he played the Cavaliers four times, helping the Warriors win three titles, becoming a foe in the process. For years, the two teams produced the league's biggest rivalry, characterized by star players, suspensions and infamous blown leads. However, both teams have started to descend since 2018, entering their latest matchup as two of the league's worst teams. But for a night, Green provided a reminder of what made him the ire of a city.  

In 25 minutes, Green finished with eight points, seven rebounds, while tying a career-high with 16 assists in his best performance of the season. Two minutes into the first quarter, he secured an outlet pass, ran the length of the floor and found Glenn Robinson III for a 3-pointer. A minute later, he raced the ball down the floor again, finding Damion Lee for an easy layup. His favorite dishes came in the second half when he found Marquese Chriss for a pair of alley-oop finishes, helping Golden State build a 27-point lead. 

"Having a lob threat is always been something that I cherish. So having these young guys get up there," Green said. "They're begging for lobs so it's like a match made in heaven for me because I love people begging for a lob because I like to throw them."

The location of Green's latest performance is noteworthy. Nearly two years ago, he celebrated his third title on the same bench he was boo'd. In 2015, he rejoiced in the visitor's locker room after winning his first championship. A year later, he was suspended after a scuffle with LeBron James in Game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals. 

Saturday's matchup was met with a tamer environment. Championship aspirations were replaced with the nostalgia of yesteryear. Gone was James, who now resides in Los Angeles, seated was Stephen Curry as he continues to rehab a broken hand. Nonetheless -- one of the only active Golden State player from the matchup's glory days -- invoked helped produce a third-quarter run reminiscent of Green's early years with the team. 

During the stretch, the Warriors outscored Cleveland 44-19, building 27-point advantage in the third quarter. During the frame, Golden State made a franchise-record 10 3-pointers, including three treys from D'Angelo Russell, helping the Warriors put together a 28-4 run. Green finished with eight assists in the quarter, finishing the stretch plus-28 from the floor, invoking boos along the way.

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"He loves being the villain," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "I think sometimes that's what takes to get him going. He needs to be engaged and I think this building brought back a lot of memories." 

Saturday's output is a positive sign for Green in a subpar season for the forward. Entering Saturday, he shot just 38 percent from the field as Curry and Klay Thompson have missed much of the year with injuries. But as Cleveland found out, it only takes one action to fuel a vintage performance from Green. 

"It just kind of takes you back," Green said. "Put you back in that mindset and that feeling that you had when those boo's were really warranted. So yeah, that was good, that was exciting."

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