Getty Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green defends Harrison Barnes of the Sacramento Kings.
The Golden State Warriors were one Harrison Barnes 3-pointer away from facing a 3-1 deficit in their first-round series against the Sacramento Kings.
Of all people, it had to be Harrison Barnes.
Luckily for the Dubs and their fans, the former-Warrior was unable to convert on the last-second game-winning attempt.
On the decisive play, Draymond Green helped off of Barnes to double-team Kings star De’Aaron Fox. Of course, Green was relieved when he saw the shot bounce off the back of the rim as the final buzzer sounded.
“Harrison was ready to call us every b-word if he made that shot, as we all know,” Green said on the April 23 edition of “The Draymond Green Show.” “It was great to see him miss it.”
The former Defensive Player of the Year then explained his thought process during the final sequence.
“We know what Fox does in that situation,” he said. “Most importantly, you can’t let him beat you there, which was my mindset. He got the ball, he was looking to make his move, [I] tried to get the ball out of his hands because you don’t just win Clutch Player of the Year being average. You’ve been in enough of those situations to show what you do in those situations. He got an award that was well deserved so I know in that situation what he’s trying to get to. And I came to help and Steph reacted immediately, went and get a contest on Harrison’s shot, and Harrison missed.”
Barnes spent his first four NBA seasons with the Warriors, winning a title in 2015. There’s no doubt that he would’ve loved to drill the game-winner to sink his former team.
Warriors’ Klay Thompson Discusses Harrison Barnes’ Missed Game-Winner
Relief was a pretty common feeling amongst Golden State’s players, after Barnes’ miss. Star guard Klay Thompson broke down his range of emotions as he waited for the shot to hit the back rim.
“Oh man, I was nervous. I’m really happy Harrison missed it. Still my guy but I was hoping you missed it really badly and sometimes you need a break like that at this point of the year,” Thompson said via NBC Sports Bay Area. “It was just a gutsy win and a big, big defensive stop.”
He then praised the defense of Green and Stephen Curry, who forced Fox to pass up the final shot.
“I’m really proud of Draymond and Steph’s defense at the top of the key,” Thompson added. “I mean HB got a great look but that’s not an easy shot. So, I’m just happy that… I mean, those two guys made a great play.”
Harrison Barnes Speaks On Failed Game-Winner vs. Warriors
As for Barnes, he didn’t seem too worked about about the miss. He told reporters that it was a good look, and that he and his Kings teammates just need to continued to be better in order to beat the Warriors.
“After you learn to put yourself together after 2016, I think one shot is not gonna necessarily faze you. So, for me, it’s all about trusting the process…” Barnes said via FOX 40 News’ YouTube channel. “We got a good look, missed it, but at the end of the day, I think the way that we’re playing, the way we’re in the series right now, we’ve just got to continue to just do that and get better.”