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The Golden State Warriors are tied 2-2 with the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals heading back to Chase Center for a critical Game 5, but the Dubs have accomplished that feat against a younger and larger opponent less because of Draymond Green than in spite of him.
Not surprisingly, however, Green does not see it that way. The Warriors’ star forward spoke with reporters on Sunday, June 12, about his play at the end of Game 4 two nights before. Head coach Steve Kerr pulled Green from that contest for a crucial four-minute stretch between roughly the 7:30 mark and the 3:30 mark in the fourth quarter.
“I impact winning, and I did that down the stretch,” Green said. “I need to carry that into Game 5.”
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NBA Insiders Blast Green’s Finals Performance on Both Ends of Court
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GettyGolden State Warriors forward Draymond Green in Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics.
To Green’s credit, he did finish the night with nine rebounds, eight assists and four steals. However, Green has been beyond an offensive liability across four games in this series.
The defensive specialist who once upon a time scored 32 points in an NBA Finals Game 7 against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers has recorded more personal fouls against the Celtics (18) through Game 4 than he has points (17). Just two of those points came Friday night in Boston on 1 of 7 shooting from the field.
Green’s lack of production on that end of the floor has NBA experts like Tim Bontemps of ESPN equating the Dubs’ offensive attack to playing four-on-five whenever Green is on the floor.
Based on his offensive struggles and the Warriors’ need for more rebounding, Bontemps called on Kerr to play Kevon Looney more minutes and Green fewer prior to Game 4. Kerr made that decision Friday night, upping Looney’s minutes from 17 in Game 3 to 28, which resulted in a 29-rebound difference (from minus 16 rebounds to plus 13 rebounds) from one contest to the next. The Celtics out-boarded the Warriors 47-31 on Wednesday night, while Golden State earned the rebounding edge over Boston 55-42 two days later.
Bill Simmons of The Ringer has also questioned Green’s effectiveness on the defensive side of the ball throughout the series, noting a decrease in the 32-year-old’s athleticism that is more apparent against Boston’s younger and physically larger wings, namely Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Kerr Comes to Green’s Defense After Pulling Him in 4th Quarter
GettyGolden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr reacts to a call during a game against the Sacramento Kings.
Kerr spoke to the barrage of media criticism directed at Green when he met with reporters Sunday, defending both Green’s play in Game 4 and throughout the entirety of the Finals.
“Draymond is Draymond,” Kerr said. “He’s going to bring it every night, and I think that’s something that maybe got lost the other night is how good he was … down the stretch.”
“He ends up the game with four steals, brilliant defensively. He did what we needed to do to win the game,” Kerr added. “Everybody’s locked in on scoring. Scoring has always been kind of the last thing that we need from him. We need his defense, his energy, his force, his competitiveness. And down the stretch of the game, he made huge plays at both ends.”
Kerr’s comments came despite his decision to first pull Green from the fourth quarter of the must-win Game 4 in Boston, and then to go offense-defense for the rest of the night by substituting guard Jordan Poole in for Green when the Warriors had the ball.
Green shared his feelings on Kerr’s moves on his podcast, “The Draymond Green Show,” following Golden State’s victory.
“Was I pissed off and frustrated? Absolutely,” Green admitted. “Seven minutes to go in an extremely important game. You know, we can’t go down 3-1. You don’t want to go to down 3-1, and I’m coming out of the game. I was livid, but I credit my teammates.”
Green has averaged just over 35 minutes per game through the NBA Finals thus far, though he played the fewest (33) on Friday night. How Kerr decides to use Green in Game 5 will be one of the primary storylines when the Warriors host the Celtics at Chase Center on Monday at 6 p.m. Western Standard Time.
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