Iman Shumpert explains why he hated the Warriors during Finals battles but loves them now

• Former Cavs guard Iman Shumpert says he loves the Warriors after previously hating them.
• Shumpert and the Cavs played the Warriors four straight years in the Finals.

Former NBA guard Iman Shumpert has an appreciation for the Golden State Warriors now that he isn't battling them in the Finals.

Shumpert faced the Warriors in the Finals for four straight seasons, from 2015-2018, as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Speaking on the "Bootleg Kev Podcast," Shumpert said he hated the Warriors during those battles, but loves them now.

"I ain't like them," Shumpert said when asked about how the Cavs felt about the Warriors.

"I'm a huge fan of all of them now. It's crazy."

"You just keep seeing them," Shumpert said of how the animosity built between the two teams over four years.

Shumpert said that while he hated Draymond Green during heated Finals moments, he always appreciated what Green brought to the game.

"Even down to Draymond. We had this thing, like you hate to play against Draymond, but it's really hard not to like dude," Shumpert said. He added that Green does not enter games wanting to make friends and wants to "go to war."

"To me, he's helping basketball," Shumpert said, adding that Green is the type of player he would love if they were teammates.

Shumpert also shared his appreciation for Klay Thompson, who he said plays physically and never complains to refs.

"Klay Thompson does not complain to refs," Shumpert said.

"He's not going to do the 'Ah, ref, look at him!' Man, you grab Klay Thompson and you hold him, that man gonna chop your wrist down so fast. I was like, bro, I love this light-skinned brother! This dude don't care, man. He willing to fight me!"

Later in the podcast, Shumpert also praised Stephen Curry, noting that Curry became an MVP and game-changing player after some people had previously doubted him because of a recurring ankle injury.

He noted that Curry became an MVP while playing on a $44 million contract – a relatively low figure for the game's best players and a sign of how Curry was viewed around the NBA.

Speaking on his feelings during those Finals series, Shumpert said, "I love these dudes, I just hate them – for now."

The Warriors won three of those four Finals matchups, though Shumpert was a big part of the biggest series of them all: the 2016 Finals in which the Cavs came back from a 3-1 deficit to win the championship.

Watch Shumpert's comments below: