NBA playoffs 2022 - Why this is the best version of Draymond Green yet

AS THE FINAL seconds wind down in the first quarter of Game 1 of the Western Conference finals against the Dallas Mavericks, Spencer Dinwiddie drives toward the right side of the paint. But Draymond Green is perched there, already anticipating what is to come — a Dinwiddie pass to Dorian Finney-Smith in the left corner.

When the Mavs guard starts to make the pass, Green explodes across the paint, zeroing in on Finney-Smith and rejecting the Dallas forward's catch-and-shoot 3 back toward the Mavs bench with 5.3 seconds left.

Green lets out a scream as he walks by Dallas owner Mark Cuban and former Mavs legend Dirk Nowitzki.

It's an emphatic finish to a first quarter that saw the Warriors take a 10-point lead. When Dallas gets within two points in the second quarter, Green scores on a layup while being fouled by Maxi Kleber. Sitting up on the floor, Green flexes his arms and stares at Kleber before converting the 3-point play.

The Mavericks felt Green's presence especially on defense, where he held them to 4-for-15 shooting as the primary defender, including 0-for-9 from behind the arc — tied for the third-most misses against a single defender from 3 since ESPN Stats & Information began tracking playoff games in 2013-14.

Mavericks star Luka Doncic finished with 20 points, his lowest output of the postseason, in the Warriors' 112-87 Game 1 win.

«I have so much respect for Draymond,» Doncic said on the eve of the Western Conference finals. «Obviously Klay [Thompson] and Steph [Curry], incredible offensive guys. But I think the key to the Warriors' team is Draymond. He's just unbelievable.»

The NBA75 celebration continues with the NBA playoffs, which runs through June, when the league will crown a champion for its milestone