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NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: ROCKETS v WARRIORSMay 20, 2015Draymond GreenOAKLAND, CALIFORNIA: Practice Day Q.  Was it a blessing in disguise (inaudible) beat them after they get up by that much? DRAYMOND GREEN: I think so. When you look at a game like that in Game 1, Coach Kerr talked about it kind of in his experience, you come out and blow a team out in Game 1, Game 2 is usually a bit cloudy. But yet if you can come out in Game 1 and not play your best and still win the game, you're kind of right where you want to be. You know, so for us to win that game like that not playing our best, getting down 16 points early and having to battle back, you know, like you say, you see what they've got and everything that they're kind of going to throw at you. I think that was kind of good for us. Obviously we want to get off to a better start tomorrow. I think that'll be important. But as far as the way that game went and to still come out with a win, I think that's great. Q. Why have starts been an issue for you guys lately? DRAYMOND GREEN: I don't think that's the case. I think we got off to great starts against Memphis the three last, and Game 1. Just Game 2 and 3, which we struggled the entire game, and I think we probably got off to a bad start once or maybe‑‑ once against New Orleans. So it's no worry. I think we've been getting off to pretty good starts. I think we'll be fine. Q. Harden had a stretch in the second half where he just went off. It seemed like you guys were playing pretty good defense on him. Is there anything else you can do to slow him down? DRAYMOND GREEN: When he gets in a groove like that, it's hard to stop. You know, I think Klay was draped all over him, and he just continued to make shots. But the one thing he was doing was making contested two‑pointers. If we handle our business early and have a little more cushion, we say, great, keep making those contested twos because they're not hurting. The game is a little closer, and all of a sudden everybody is kind of panicking, we need to do this, we need to do that, stop Harden because the game is closer, but at the end of the day you want guys taking contested two, he just happened to be making them and we didn't quite have the cushion that we needed to have in that situation. But I think one thing it did, over the course of time, with him taking all those tough shots and making them, he kind of wore down towards the end. That's what you've got to do against a guy like that. He's going to make his runs by himself at some point. That's why he's become the player that he has. I'm sure that won't be the last time you'll see that in this series. We've just got to continue to do what we do and make sure when he's making those runs you don't let everybody else get off, as well. Q. This team without Dwight Howard, he's questionable for tomorrow, how different are the Rockets when he's not on the floor? DRAYMOND GREEN: They're a different ballclub, for sure. Capela has been playing really well, and I'm sure he'll probably fill in at the 5 for him. You see the growth of him over the course of the season. You know, we're going to prepare as if Dwight is playing, and if not, we'll adjust the game plan a little bit. Q. What's the key to defending Dwight when you're on him? DRAYMOND GREEN: Holding my ground. I mean, not losing ground when he's trying to back me down. Just stand my ground and make him try to take tough shots over me. Q. Steve Kerr said this was a triple‑double type of series for you. Did he explain exactly what he meant by that? DRAYMOND GREEN: Yeah, he told me you're probably going to have open shots, but you have to pick and choose when you're going to take those open shots because you have an open shot but you put the ball down one time or get in the paint when someone else is wide open. He definitely explained it, and it kind of worked out that way last night. Q. Did you watch the draft? DRAYMOND GREEN: At home. Well, I started (inaudible). Q. What was going through your mind? DRAYMOND GREEN: I was pissed. Just to see‑‑ I was talking to my business manager last night, and he was talking about, man, I remember you getting drafted, look how everything worked out. So I remember being at that convention center. I just remember me walking in that back hallway, and I'm like, I am not going back there. I was steaming. But everything happens for a reason, and I couldn't have fell to a better place. Q. Did you walk out before you were picked or after? DRAYMOND GREEN: Yeah, well before, probably somewhere in the 20s. I was hot. Just to see all these guys get taken before me, I'm like, I know all these guys aren't better than me, but yet they're getting picked before me. I was pissed off. Q. How many people were there with you? DRAYMOND GREEN: A lot. Q. 20, 100, 50? DRAYMOND GREEN: Probably closer to 100. Q. Besides being mad, what were the emotions that night? DRAYMOND GREEN: Even when I got drafted I cried. It was still like a dream come true to hear my name called. Joe Dumars is like a father to me, and he called me, and he said, hey, before my name came across, he welcomed me to the NBA, and it was like a real moment for me, growing up watching him and what he's meant to me in my life, I don't know if I'd be here without him. He kind of showed me a different life and showed me that it was possible. For him to welcome me to the NBA, it was a lot of emotion, man. Q. I don't remember where they picked, if they were in that area at all‑‑ DRAYMOND GREEN: They were 38. Q. Were you getting your hopes up or were you like I don't want to last until 38 or 39? DRAYMOND GREEN: Once I got to that point, I had a feeling Golden State would take me because I had a great workout with them. I thought they would probably take me at 30, but then they took Festus. Then when I saw I was still there at 35 I had a feeling that they would take me, but I didn't know for sure, but if I didn't go 35 I wanted to fall to 39. Q. Talking about the history aspect of this, the first in 40 years to get this far, any discussion about that amongst you guys? DRAYMOND GREEN: No, not at all. Q. None of that significance has registered of being‑‑ DRAYMOND GREEN: No. We've got one goal, and that's not to be the first in 40 years to make it to the Conference Finals. Q. What does it mean to get all‑defensive honors with Andrew? DRAYMOND GREEN: It means a lot. All year we've known each other down. If I get beat, he's there to cover for me. If he gets beat, I'm there to cover for him. And it's like that with the entire team, but for both of us, our front line, to get all‑defensive team honors, that's incredible. It's a blessing, but it's what we've prided ourselves on all year. We've kind of got our guys who knock shots down and get it done on the offensive end and we get open, and then we're the anchors of the defense, and for both of us to get all‑defensive honors that says‑‑ Q. Would you want to see Klay or Andre get in there, too? DRAYMOND GREEN: Absolutely. I want to see as many guys as possible, because I think they deserve it. But you look at that list, and everybody on there is deserving. It's just one of those things where you can go either way. Q. Do you think this team is getting recognized as a defensive‑minded team? DRAYMOND GREEN: I think it's more and more as the Playoffs go on, you're hearing more and more chatter about our defense, and it's getting more credit. I mean, obviously in the Playoffs you have to defend at a high level in order to win games. Q. These two teams, last time you played each other in January in the regular season, there was maybe a little chippiness on the floor, last night we saw a little more. Is that just emotions of it being so competitive at this point in the season? DRAYMOND GREEN: Yeah, they're a competitive ballclub, we're a competitive ballclub. I'm sure you're probably talking about with Ariza? Q. Maybe. DRAYMOND GREEN: Ariza is kind of their me, and he's a very emotional leader, he's the X‑factor, he's just that guy who kind of does a lot for them. It's not a surprise to me that me and him would get into something like that, but at the end of the day, it was nothing. Like he ran to me, I fell over, he tripped over me. I thought he tried to kick me, so I grabbed his legs. It is what it is, though. At the end of the day, it's respect both ways. I respect him, and I think he respects me. I'm not sure if he does or not, but I think so. And it is what it is. No hard feelings. It's the game of basketball. You expect to be hit at some point. Q. Do you get an all‑defensive bonus, by the way? DRAYMOND GREEN: I wish. Q. Not like the other guys? DRAYMOND GREEN: Absolutely not. I need to try to work that in there. He's buying me a dinner for sure. It's a nice bonus. Q. I think that second contract is going to be okay. You can interpret that as a bonus. DRAYMOND GREEN: Yeah, my bonus will come there, huh. Not right now, though. Not right now. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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