Cavaliers-Warriors Rivalry Is Alive And Well

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors reignited their rivalry as Draymond Green and Donovan Mitchell got into an altercation.

The Cleveland Cavaliers-Golden State Warriors rivalry is one that many NBA fans are aware of. 

There's always going to be some bad blood and history between the two teams when they meet in the NBA Finals four consecutive times.

This was mainly led by the LeBron James-era Cavs and died down a bit once he departed for Los Angeles and Cleveland began a rebuild.

However, Saturday night's events between Draymond Green and Donovan Mitchell reminded us that there's still a long, rooted history between these two clubs, and the rivalry is alive on well.

Green and Mitchell got into an altercation on Saturday, in which the Warriors forward shoved the Cleveland guard in the back. This shove caused Mitchell to retaliate. After further review, the officials deemed Green to have started the argument and issued him a technical foul, his second of the game, as he was ejected.

Green being tossed while the Cavs and Warriors compete in a high-intensity and close game gives fans flashbacks to the Finals matchups from years ago. 

Draymond Green Ejected / © Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports

Nov 11, 2023; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) reacts after he is assessed his second technical foul for the altercation and is ejected from the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the third quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports

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Draymond Green Ejected / © Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports

Nov 11, 2023; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) is escorted off the basketball court after being ejected against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the third quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports

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Draymond Green, Donovan Mitchell / © Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports

Nov 11, 2023; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) and Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) dive for the ball during the third quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports

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This interaction perfectly echoed what fans saw from 2015-2018: Green aggravates his opponent, gets ejected, and hypes up the crowd, which leads to a Warriors offensive run.

Thankfully, Cleveland was able to come out on top in this game and not let the quarrel get the best of them.

As for the history of this feud, Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff had this to say about it: 

"They understand it. The guys understand the history of the NBA and anytime you meet, as many times in a row, and how heated the battles were, that super seeds just those guys in that moment. And that's something that I think our organizations will remember and that stuff is passed on through history and tradition and that's the great thing about spot and the great thing about rivaly. It's not just the players that make rivalries, it's the organizations that make rivalries and I think that's great for the game"

The Cavs-Warriors regular season series came to a close on Saturday, so we'll have to wait until next season to see what else this storied rivalry has waiting for fans.

Unless these two teams meet up in this year's Finals.