“Prove me wrong!” Ahead of the Finals series, Draymond Green argued that the Knicks lacked a “bona fide 1A” superstar, counting Jalen Brunson out as a type of star capable of leading the team to the championship. Now, with the NY side one win away from glory, Green publicly apologized to JB. However, the apology has an interesting twist. Green still didn’t view Brunson as a candidate for Finals MVP.

“A lot of people saying OG Anunoby is the current favorite for the Finals MVP, and I must say, I agree. I think he’s been the most consistent,” he said on the Draymond Green Show. “He had the block and the bucket to close out the game in game four. Jalen Brunson was incredible last game, but I think the first three games, he wasn’t great.”

Notably, OG played two back-to-back plays on either end of the floor in Game 4. Firstly, a chase-down block on De’Aaron Fox’s layup, followed by a magical tap to take the timely one-point lead to steal the game. Meanwhile, Jalen Brunson scored 36 points on a better shooting night (48% FG) compared to the previous games.

Elaborating on Brunson’s shooting, Green added:

“He was shooting a lot of shots at a low percentage. And OG has just been constant. And it hasn’t been like the average of 14 points, 16 points. He’s averaging 24 points in the series. 65% (58%) from the field, 55% from three. Playing the defense he’s playing, guarding Wemby at times in the series. I think if OG Anunoby has a decent Game 5 and they win Game 5, I think OG Anunoby is the Finals MVP.”

Although Brunson leads the series with a 29.5 ppg, he has a poor shooting efficiency of 39.6% in four games. Also, the Spurs, at times, target him at the defensive end for buckets. Meanwhile, Anunoby has emerged as an unstoppable force on both ends, averaging 23.8 ppg and 1.5 bpg.

Ironically, Green’s Finals MVP prediction came shortly after he apologized to Brunson for underestimating him.

Draymond Green apologizes to Jalen Brunson

Right after Game 4, sitting alongside the Inside Guys and Jalen Brunson, Draymond Green apologized to JB on live TV. The Knicks guard accepted it with a subtle nod. For many, the reason remained unknown. Speaking on the same podcast, Green revealed the reason. 

“I apologize to Jalen Brunson,” Green said.” The reason I apologize to Jalen Brunson is because I think he’s about to go on to win the NBA Finals, and I don’t know that I’m going to have the opportunity to see him face to face.”

As mentioned earlier, before the Finals series, Green argued that the Knicks have a missing piece for the championship without a true “1A” superstar. While he respected Brunson’s game, he didn’t place him amongst the greats like Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Luka Dončić, and Kawhi Leonard.

This 4-game Finals run changed his opinion. 

“One thing I hate is people make these predictions. People make these statements. And then once they’re wrong, they just lolly on, diddle daddle off to the next thing. I don’t respect that. I’d much rather somebody say, ‘Yo, I said X, and this is why I said it. I was wrong. I was right. And so I apologize to his face.”

The Warriors forward also stressed that he has no disrespect for Brunson. He also wanted to publicly acknowledge the guard’s achievement, as he had criticized him publicly.

With a win left for the championship, will Jalen Brunson prove Green wrong once again by winning the Finals MVP?