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NBA PLAYOFFS ROUND ONE: ROCKETS vs WARRIORS

April 16, 2016

Draymond Green

Oakland, California: Game One

Warriors - 104, Rockets - 78

Q. Draymond, what did you think of the physical nature of the game and the way the Rockets came out to obviously try to disrupt you guys?
DRAYMOND GREEN: I mean, we knew it would be physical like that. You know, that's playoff basketball. That's what you expect coming into the playoffs. It's going to be a very physical game. Teams are going to try to rough you up. So it wasn't more than what we expected.

Q. Did you expect them to be more not physically aggressive but aggressive offensively early? It seemed like you caught them on their heels quickly and sort of kept them there.
DRAYMOND GREEN: I think they were. I think we defended well. To start the game off, when you come out and -- I was surprised they didn't go in with Dwight earlier. I think first few minutes he probably didn't get a touch. You know, the big fella was ready for the post, but he didn't give many of them to start the game off.

But our defense was very sound. Our guys were flying around. James was driving to the hole. Everybody was helping out and not fouling, so that was key for us. I think our defense later it was part of it.

Q. When I was looking at what happened between Beverley and Stephen Curry early in the game, it seemed that it annoyed you in particularly. Did it annoy you when Beverley started getting into him and Curry pushed him back?
DRAYMOND GREEN: No, it didn't annoy me. That's part of the game. If you mean I was the first one there after that happened, then, yeah, that's my guy. I'm going to come over there. So I wasn't annoyed by it, just part of the game. A guy like Pat, you kind of grow to expect that. That's how he's made his way in this league. Not to have respect for a guy who now he's got his contract, but he still plays the exact same way. So I have respect that they stay true to who they are. He knows who they are, and he doesn't detour away from that.

Q. How concerned are you about Steph going forward and how does it change your team if he can't play Monday night?
DRAYMOND GREEN: Well, you lose the MVP of the NBA it definitely changes your team, so there is some concern. However I think it will be fine at some point. Hopefully we play Monday, Tuesday, whenever it is, hopefully he'll be fine by then. But if not, it's the same mentality we've had throughout the year. He can't go, next man up.

One man's not going to come out and be Steph Curry for us. We have to come out and do it collectively. We had the blueprint at New Year's Eve I think it was. So it's happened before. Not that it's going to be easy, but we know we can do it if we have to.

Q. Draymond with the technical foul in the fourth quarter, was that one that you earned? And being off that, do you feel when there is physical play coming from the other side that it's up to you and the rest of the team to maybe match that in some ways?
DRAYMOND GREEN: Well, I don't think it's one, but we'll see what happens. As far as physical play, you have to match it or you'll get right off the floor. You can't get let somebody push you around and you don't push back. That's the game we play. It's an intense game, so if you don't match that, then you're in trouble.

One thing about the playoffs is for instance we were up 29 with six, seven minutes to go, and Coach Kerr said one thing about the playoffs, you've got to see these guys now a minimum of three more times. You don't want to let guys get a rhythm at the end of the game. So even though you're still going to win by 14, you've got to face these guys again the next game. As opposed to the regular season, you take your guys out and get ready for the next game, but you don't see it. So if they get a rhythm in the next game, that rhythm's going to get somebody else. You have to see them in those next games.

So you have to make sure that you meet that physicality, you match that physicality, and try to exceed it as well because you don't want those guys getting into a rhythm going into the next game. They've got to come out and find their rhythm there.

Q. Draymond, how important is it for you guys to have Mo come off the bench and play like tonight and like he's been playing a lot lately?
DRAYMOND GREEN: It's very important. He's one of the scorers on that bench unit for us and he can get it going. He's also good on the boards. He was pretty good on the defensive end as well, and that's what's most important. He's got to rebound the basketball and be good on the defensive end. We know he can score, and he does now with the best of them just as good as any big man in the league.

But when he's good on the defensive end and rebounding the basketball, that's when it gets really tough. That's what's stood out lately to me. He's going I know he's going to knock down shots. That's what he is, but he's stepped his game up another notch on the defensive end and on the glass and that's been very, very key. It shouldn't go unnoticed because you'll fall in love, just like Steph and Klay, you'll fall in love with their jump shots and scoring, and not realize all the other things they do. Same thing goes for Mo.

Q. To beat Houston like this (No Microphone) so you guys thought about the way the series might go?
DRAYMOND GREEN: One thing we do know is as they showed in the third quarter for a bit, that no matter how much they're down, they could come back. So you have to stay locked in. One thing we know about the playoffs is every game is different, so next game won't be the same. Can it have the same outcome? If we come out and play our brand of basketball, it could. But we're not coming out expecting that.

So we know that this is a very talented ballclub. James struggled tonight and he didn't get to the free-throw line which is where both of his points come from. So you've got to expect that to be a little different come Game 2. So this doesn't tell us how the series will go. You look at all their starters, and it's not who they are, it's not who they've been.

So we got through this game tonight, we can build on this, but we have to know they're going to try to throw haymakers in Game 2. We have to come out, stand our ground and push back.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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