Draymond Green has never been shy about putting himself on the pedestal as arguably the best defensive player of all time, along with the Warriors dynasty as the ultimate dynasty in any classic what-if matchup. While this might be true regarding recent NBA history, several teams in different eras fit the bill in terms of having numerous Hall-of-Famers on the roster and winning multiple championships. One such team is, without a doubt, the 1980s Boston Celtics.
Celtics icon and Hall of Famer Kevin McHale was aware of all of the above. And so, during a 2015 episode of Open Court, the 'Man with a thousand moves' gave his opinion about hypothetically facing the Warriors and the man who would likely get the defensive assignment of guarding him - Green.
"I can guarantee you one thing, tall skilled beats small skilled all the time, Now, you know, a small skilled beats a big stiff all the time," said McHale. "But I mean, there's just no way…"
Draymond is too short to have a chance against McHale
Standing at 6-foot-10 with an unbelievable 8-foot wingspan, McHale is heralded as one of the best post players in NBA history. Aside from being the man with a thousand moves, he was also dubbed as the 'Torture Chamber' because he would make life miserable for defensive players once he got the ball on the low block.
Because the Celtics had another impressive post player in 7-foot-1 Robert Parish, the then Golden State's big man Andrew Bogut would likely take on The Chief while the onus of guarding McHale would fall in the hands of Draymond, who is only 6-6 tall.
"Honestly, I watched your Golden State series and said 'I would've loved that Draymond Green guard me'. I don't care how many threes, what he was doing. I was like, there's just no way that guy…He couldn't grow enough to guard me," added the Celtics great.
Green makes a bold claim that he is the best defender ever
It was three years ago when Draymond boldly declared that he believes that he is the best defensive player to ever lace up the sneakers . According to him, he is great in all facets of defense and when you put it all together, he has the tools to guard anyone.
"I think when you look at the things that make a great defender: reaction time, toughness, being able to see the picture long before it develops, and most importantly, to finish a defensive possession, you've got to rebound. And I think I rebound well. And so when I look at all the facets that make up the defensive side of the ball, I think I'm great in every facet. So I think I'm the best defender to ever play in the NBA. I'll stand by that. I'll put myself up against anyone," said Dray.
You have to love Green for his confidence. That's the kind of belief that players have to have in themselves when they go up against the best in the game. However, it's hard to see Draymond keeping up with McHale. He may use his physicality, but the Torture Chamber was just as tough and probably even more challenging if you add the height and wingspan disparity into the formula.
Related: “He literally had nothing left at the end of practice every single day” - When Kevin McHale knew Kevin Garnett was destined for success in the NBA
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