Draymond Green Begs Shaquille O’Neal’s Pick in the Mavericks-Thunder Series and Gives a Simple Reason

The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Dallas Mavericks will face off in the Western Conference semifinals. Ahead of what is sure to be a great matchup, many within the NBA community have already made their predictions on how this matchup will go. Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green immediately joined in, confidently announcing a pretty shocking version.

Despite the Thunder having an excellent 5-2 record against the Mavericks since the start of last season (per Statmuse), Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green is not only backing Dallas to advance to the Western Conference Finals, he believes the series will hardly be won. a match. Explaining why, he said on the Draymond Green Show:

“I even had Dallas win in five, six at best. The reason for this is that I just don’t think OKC is big enough for Dallas. Dallas has height. Look at PJ Washington, Daniel Gafford and Luka (Doncic), they have a girth too. OKC has height, but they are mostly skinny guys.

I think Dallas’ physicality will make the difference in this series. They are just as good offensively, if not better. I don’t think Dallas is better defensively, but with their size and physicality they will get better defensively.”

While his prediction might be bold, Green isn’t wrong about the Mavericks’ size advantage. According to ESPN, outside of Kyrie Irving, none of Dallas’ other four starters are under 6-foot-1, while only two of OKC’s starting five are above that mark.

Guard Josh Giddey stands at 6-foot-1, while center Chet Holmgren is 7-foot-1. But, as Green mentioned, neither is physically imposing, with the former weighing 216 pounds while the latter weighs just 208 pounds (per Basketball Reference). On the other hand, Doncic, PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford weigh over 230, showing the huge difference in size between the two sides.

Green believes the Mavericks will use their superior size and that OKC’s 3-1 regular-season record against them isn’t a true indication of the two teams’ capabilities. The Warriors icon gives Dallas the advantage and it remains to be seen if they live up to his belief.

Shaquille O’Neal is on the Thunder hype train

While Draymond Green chose the Mavericks for the size advantage, the most physically imposing and dominant player ever, Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal, doesn’t believe this tips the scales in their favor and is backing the upstart Thunder to win the series. . While previewing the series on Inside The NBA, he said:

“I expect OKC to win this series very easily. I know Dallas has two dynamic scorers. But the way this young team plays, they’re so together, they’re on a mission. ”

While Green thinks the Mavericks’ physical superiority will make the difference, O’Neal goes with his gut feeling and backs the camaraderie and team spirit he’s seen shine through all season.

Surprisingly, neither of them believe the series will last long and have backed their respective series to get the job done with ease. It remains to be seen who is proven wrong, or if they are both wrong, and the two teams deliver a seven-match epic.