Draymond Green insisted defeat to the Toronto Raptors does not signal the end of the Golden State Warriors' NBA dynasty, proclaiming: "We'll be back."
After staying alive with victory in Toronto on Monday, the Warriors saw their bid for a third straight title end in front of their own fans with defeat in an eventful Game 6 of the Finals.
Already without Kevin Durant after he ruptured an Achilles in Game 5, Golden State's bid to level the series on Thursday was further hampered by the loss of Klay Thompson, who suffered a torn ACL in his left knee late in the third quarter.
Both injured players may not play for the team again — Durant has a player option for next season, while Thompson is set to become a free agent — having been key figures in title-winning campaigns in 2017 and 2018.
Yet Green, who is eligible for a contract extension this offseason, is confident the Warriors can recover from the disappointment of missing out on a three-peat, despite predictions their period of dominance is coming towards a conclusion.
"I think everybody thinks it's kind of the end of us. But that's just not smart. We're not done yet," the three-time All-Star said in his postgame press conference. "We lost this year. Clearly just wasn't our year, but that's how the cookie crumbles sometimes.
"But, yeah, I hear a lot of that noise, it's the end of a run and all that jazz. I don't see it happening though. We'll be back."
The best fans in the world.
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) June 14, 2019
Thank you, #DubNation pic.twitter.com/GZvrHMbiav
Teammate Stephen Curry shared Green's optimism over the future, while adding the Warriors' five straight trips to the NBA Finals had been "awesome."
Curry, who finished the game with 21 points, missed a contested 3-point attempt in the closing seconds that would have put Golden State ahead. Green eventually grabbed the loose ball in the aftermath but called for a timeout when his team had none remaining, leading to a turnover and a technical foul.
"It's a one-possession game to keep our season alive tonight. So we'll be thinking about this one, it's tough," Curry told the media. "But our DNA and who we are and the character that we have on this team, I wouldn't bet against us being back on this stage next year and going forward. So, really proud of the way that we fought until the end and this five-year run's been awesome, but definitely don't think it's over."