Draymond, Livingston note how 2024-25 Thunder compare to 2014-15 Warriors originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Draymond Green and Shaun Livingston noted similarities and differences between the current Oklahoma City Thunder team and the 2014-2015 Warriors – Golden State’s first title winner of the dynastic era – on Thursday night’s edition of the “Draymond Green Show” podcast.
Here’s what Green had to say in the podcast, which aired soon after Tyrese Haliburton’s game-winner gave the Indiana Pacers a 1-0 series lead over Oklahoma City in the 2025 NBA Finals.
“Where I think they’re similar is the age; young guys with a few vets, like [Isaiah] Hartenstein, but not Chet [Holmgren]; Shaun [Livingston], [Andre Iguodala], they weren’t our age, so we kind of had that balance – and [Andrew] Bogut, [David] Lee, they were (also) the older guys.
“[Alex] Caruso has been there before, right? I think they’ve got a few vets like we had that kind of settles things down for them. And they got young guys, Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander], [Jalen Williams] just kind of out there running wild doing their thing, relying on their talent, obviously thinking the game, but not to the level of the vets – because they’ve just seen more.”
The Thunder remind Green of the old Warriors because of their dynamics being based around seasoned veterans in their 30s and stars in their 20s.
Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Green formed Golden State’s headlining trio during its 2015 NBA Finals victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, with the support of valuable role players such as Livingston, Iguodala, Bogut and Lee, to name a few.
Oklahoma City has a similar situation around Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams and Holmgren, for example, with a strong supportive cast of players like Caruso and Hartenstein, who have been in the league for a while, each with high floors suitable for the playoffs.
“The vets see more, they help you more; they’re seeing these things develop,” Green added. “I think [the Thunder] are [similar] in that aspect. I’ve seen the playoff record, very similar. Offensive rating, I think we were number one, they’re like three. Defensive rating, we’re both number one. I saw those things … The end-of-season record, they [won] 68, we [won] 67.
“I see all of that stuff, and I see a young team that’s gone through their lumps, and seems poised to take that final step. I can see those similarities, but the style of play couldn’t be further from the same.”
Livingston had a similar stance to Green. However, his perspective is from that of a player who was a Warriors veteran in 2014-15, unlike Green, who was an up-and-coming two-way star.
“It’s definitely similar. [Green] nailed all the points,” Livingston said about similarities between the Warriors and Thunder. “Listen, they were the best team by far this season – by far. And honestly, watching them too, they did not take games off; if they were supposed to beat a team they were a lot better than, they would beat the dog sh-t out of that team. The habits they were building, that’s what I watched.”
Livingston noticed how today’s Thunder and those past Warriors didn’t take games off. But he also pointed out how both teams, despite being a force every game, encountered uncharted territory as one of the last two teams standing.
“When I came to [the Warriors], I had come from playing with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Joe Johnson, Deron Williams; these guys were kind of already cemented in their careers – former champions, veterans,” Livingston said about his Brooklyn Nets tenure. “They had a mindset about winning, where they expected to win.
“When I came to Golden State, they had already tasted winning, and I felt like they wanted to win … but none of us had been to the finals, similar to OKC.”
Those Warriors won in their Finals debut; it’s still to be determined if the Thunder will do the same.
Green and Livingston, though, agreed that Oklahoma City is gaining great experience right now, regardless of the series outcome.
The Thunder undoubtedly were the best team during the 2024-25 NBA season. But they had no way of preparing for the chaos the Pacers seem to embrace, despite entering the series with a variety of top-notch statistics and 18 more regular-season wins.
Oklahoma City needs to win four of its next six games to truly rival the old Golden State squad. Then, if things go well, three more trophies to match the Warriors’ dynasty.
