Getty Draymond Green guards Anthony Davis
Golden State Warriors power forward Draymond Green sounded off on Anthony Davis after the Los Angeles Lakers won Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals.
Davis torched the Warriors in Game 1, finishing with 30 points, 23 rebounds, five assists and four blocks.
“I think when you guard a player like AD, it’s never gonna be one guy that just shuts him down,” Green said. “It’s a team effort. But as far as the matchup goes, you gotta take that head-on. And I don’t think we did a great job of that tonight. Like I said, that starts with me.”
Davis shot 11-of-19 from the field in Game 1. The Lakers won by a final score of 117-112 to steal home-court advantage and take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Draymond Green: Anthony Davis Is a Great Player
Green is very familiar with Davis. The two All-Stars have the same agent (Rich Paul of Klutch Sports Group) and Green knows Davis is a very tough cover.
“He’s a great player,” Green said about Davis. “Very athletic. Great rim protector. And his shot was going tonight. Felt like he made every one of those mid-ranges he took. And you gotta live with some of those. But I think we can do a better job individually and collectively to take some of those away.”
Davis is averaging 22.1 points, 15.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 4.3 blocks in the playoffs while shooting 50.4% from the floor and 86.5% from the charity stripe. The eight-time All-Star leads the postseason in blocks per game and total blocks.
LeBron James & D’Angelo Russell Appreciate Anthony Davis
LeBron James and D’Angelo Russell appreciate what Davis is doing in the playoffs thus far. Both All-Stars know how special of a player “The Brow” is.
“He’s been dominating the playoffs,” Russell said. “Gets a lot of hate from the media throughout the year, and I wasn’t a part of it, but I don’t know what you could say about the guy. He’s on the court for almost the whole game. Last series, he dominated when he’s out there. Never asked for a sub. Never asked for a break. If he can play, he’ll dominate the game. If he can’t play, he can’t play.”
Added James: “The Lakers franchise over the years, over the course of their existence, has always had dominant big men. Dominant guys that have been a force at the rim. And that’s why their jerseys are in the rafters. And AD will be up there when he’s done playing. And the No. 3 will be up in the rafters. And he continues to show why he’s one of the best players that we have in this league. And for us, it’s a treat for us to be able to have such a dynamic player that can not only go out and get you 30 and 20, but also command the paint defensively, can switch out to guards and also give you five assists as well.”
Game 2 of the Lakers-Warriors series is on May 4. Los Angeles will look to take a 2-0 lead behind Davis, James and Russell.