The war of words is an ironic flip of the usual trope of “basketball old-head says the game has changed.” In this case, it is the current NBA star saying basketball has gotten away from its roots, and the legend arguing that ball is ball, and you know it or you don’t. If only they could settle it on the court.

Before making his proclamation on national TV, Draymond Green had been telling many around him how confident he is in this Warriors team.