Kevin Durant Says Draymond Green Did Not Call Him After 2016 Finals Loss

Golden State Warriors small forward Kevin Durant said Dubs teammate Draymond Green didn't call him immediately following the team's Game 7 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals last year, a claim made by the defensive stalwart last week.

Green told Zach Lowe of ESPN.com he called Durant from the parking lot after the defeat completed a stunning collapse from a 3-1 series lead. The former Oklahoma City Thunder star, who signed with Golden State a couple of weeks later, denied that conversation took place, per NBA TV:

The disputed series of events comes with the Warriors once again holding a 3-1 lead over Cleveland in the Finals. They are seeking their second title in the last three years.

Green explained to Lowe the front office's ability to land Durant in free agency helped take some of the sting away after the heartbreaking loss one year ago.

"If we win the championship, I'm like 99 percent sure we don't get him," he said. "There are silver linings to everything."

Durant never provided many details about his foray into the open market. Last July, when he announced his decision to join the already star-studded Warriors on the Players' Tribune, he attributed the choice to personal and professional growth.

"The primary mandate I had for myself in making this decision was to have it based on the potential for my growth as a player—as that has always steered me in the right direction," he wrote. "But I am also at a point in my life where it is of equal importance to find an opportunity that encourages my evolution as a man: moving out of my comfort zone to a new city and community which offers the greatest potential for my contribution and personal growth."

Why Durant felt the need to refute Green's recollection is unclear.

Nevertheless, the Warriors must hunker down and prevent the Cavaliers from getting back into the series with a second straight victory Monday night. Otherwise, the mental demons from last year will start to become a serious factor for the Western Conference champs.

Game 5 is scheduled for Monday at 9 p.m. ET at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California.