	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: TRAIL BLAZERS VS. WARRIORS

May 16, 2019

Draymond Green

Oakland, California - Postgame 2

Golden State 114, Portland 111

Q. When you got your fourth foul, it looked like you really didn't want to come out. I just wanted to see if that was the case, and then the other question is, I think you played the last seven and a half minutes with five. How do you play with intensity in that situation without picking up that No. 6?
DRAYMOND GREEN: I mean, I don't think anyone ever wants to come out when you pick up a foul that may take you out of the game, especially in a situation like this, where you know, we're on our home court fighting, try to go to Portland with a 2-0 lead and I picked up my fifth. I mean, if I'm -- just play. If I'm going to be out there and play timid, then I may as well go sit on the bench, you know. When you're out there on the floor, you've got to give all that you got.

I played aggressive on the defensive side of the ball, so I can't take that away because everyone on our team is used to me playing aggressive on that side. So if I stopped that, they don't know what to do because they are used to me playing a certain way, so I just got to play and just try not to reach. You know, if I just move my feet and don't reach, live with the results.

Q. With Steph [Curry] and Klay [Thompson] doing this so often together, what sort of leadership qualities did you see them showing tonight, especially with KD [Kevin Durant] being out?
DRAYMOND GREEN: I think their leadership was huge. Everything was going against us, and you know, like I said, I was in foul trouble, and they just kept going. They continued to fight. You know, I mean, it's when we needed them most. We were down 17 points there in the third quarter. We could have folded but those guys continued to will us on both sides of the ball and got us back in the game.

You know, everybody who touched the floor, whether it was from the bench, starters, everybody was playing hard. Every continued to will us and we finally was able to gain some traction and turn the game around.

Q. You have an opportunity to play for your fourth championship. What do you make of this great time in your career?
DRAYMOND GREEN: I mean, it's special. You know, to be able to play for a fourth championship in five years, to be able to possibly three-peat, you know, it's a special time and one that, you know, you really try to relish. We know that, you know, these runs don't last forever, and obviously there are so many questions and things that could possibly happen with this team this summer. So want to try to take advantage of this opportunity and make the most of it, and deal with the things that come after whenever those things arrive, but right now, we're focused on the task at hand and try to do something that hasn't been done in a long time, or many times.

Q. The possession, the pretty bounce pass through the paint for the dunk by Iggy [Andre Iguodala] and then the following one to hit [Kevon] Looney, how much were you seeing the defense and reading the floor?
DRAYMOND GREEN: I almost threw the one to Dre too soon because I know with Steph flying off like that, both defenders was going to go with him and he was going to be wide open. As a passer, that's like heaven. You've got Steph coming from all the way from the other side of the floor, flying off and knowing Dre is going to slip to the room like nobody is there, I almost got ahead of myself.

You know, just really reading and reacting. And then the one to Looney, the big step up, the lob is there. Just trying to take what the defense give me and really committing to Steph, which means we have a four-on three on the back side and they are keeping the guy on Klay's body, so at that point I was three-on-two on the back side and just try to take whatever's there and make the right read.

Q. How aware are you of the dynamic and the back and forth of Steph and Seth Curry going at war in this series, especially the way it turned out tonight with Seth stealing a ball and hitting the big shot and what do you think that's like for his parents up there in the crowd wearing their jerseys backwards?
DRAYMOND GREEN: I mean, as a parent, what more can you ask for, especially -- Sonya [Curry] is amazing and I love her, but Dell [Curry] as a father who has played in the NBA, like that's a completely different thing. And then obviously we all know a mother's love is like no other. You see the video on TV, Seth hitting the three and Dell standing there like this smiling and Sonya is going crazy. I can only imagine what that feels like.

And them two, growing up in the backyard playing against each other their whole life, whether it's video games, in the backyard playing one-on-one, whatever it is -- I've got a big brother. You compete your entire life. And to be on this stage, it don't get much better than this.

Me on the outside looking in, I really don't give a damn (laughter). I hope Seth miss every shot and get destroyed by Steph. Yeah, he had too good of a game tonight for my liking but he was definitely amazing.

Q. We got the update on Kevin before the game. Obviously you guys are a better team with him. I know you'd love to have him back, but at this point, are you guys mentally preparing as if he's not going to be back in this series?
DRAYMOND GREEN: I think you have to as a player. You know, we can't sit and look over our shoulder and say, "Hey, man, when is K going to be back." We just got to play with whatever we got. We got to play and give him an opportunity to get back, and I think that's what really falls on our shoulders. Obviously like you said, we're a much better team with him on the floor, and that's on both sides of the ball but right now we're a very confident group and you know we got everybody stepping up and giving great minutes and that's what it's all about.

You know, so I mean, hopefully he's back sooner than later, but you know, as a guy who is in the war, in the battle every night, we can't sit and look over our shoulder and wonder when he or DeMarcus [Cousins] is coming back. We have to assume that -- this year, they are never coming -- I know something will be made of that (laughter) -- we have to assume they are not coming back and play with what we got.

Obviously, we are hoping that they do. But while they are not out there, we just got to play.

Q. You guys are down eight late in the game, and it almost feels like they are at that point, they are playing not to mess up, and you guys are out there playing freely and confident still, despite the situation. Is that just confidence that develops over time, being in these type of situations, year after year after year and being at the top?
DRAYMOND GREEN: I don't know if they were necessarily playing not to mess up, but I mean, they missed a few shots that they normally make. You have CJ [McCollum] who had a couple great looks and they didn't fall. But you know, we've been here before. And when you are on a run like we are currently in, you've seen everything.

And so we're down eight points with what, four minutes to go or whatever it was, just got to keep going, because we know we can erase eight points in a minute. So always understanding that, and having confidence in that is key, but at the same time, understanding what it takes and what needs to be done in order to do that is just as important, if not more important.

So I think our experience really paid off tonight and just having a bunch of guys that's never going to quit.

Q. When other coaches, opponents, are talking about your play-making ability, they talk about your intelligence and instincts. You talked about that with seeing the defense step up and knowing what to do. What about the intelligence part? Are you taking notes on how the defense is playing you?
DRAYMOND GREEN: I think so. You know, one thing Coach [Steve Kerr] told me during the game, he said, "Draymond, they are taking the lob away. You may just be able to get all the way to the basket." And so I think once I started coming out with a mindset of attacking, and looking like I was going to attack, then at that point, you really force the defender to make a decision.

Early on in the game, I was kind of coming out of the pick-and-roll and looking for the lob the entire time. I'm telegraphing it. You know, being a play maker is something I take pride in. It's something I love to do. You know, I love to make a play for someone else more than I even like shooting the ball and I've been that way my whole life. Just thankful that they guarded the way they did tonight and it was able to work for us.

Q. Jordan [Bell] had another good game, I think it was his third straight good game in the playoffs. How have you seen him evolve over the season?
DRAYMOND GREEN: I think he's evolved mostly mentally. Obviously he's shooting the ball better. He's more confident in his little 10 to 14-foot range. He's shooting his free throws better. You know, he's gotten more intelligent. I think all those things are great but more important than all of that, his mental. His professionalism. I think that's where he's grown the most and I think right now, that's paying off for him the most. It's not like he's out there taking seven mid-range jumpshots. He's just playing hard, and so it's the professionalism. It's the staying ready, being in the gym nonstop, even when you're not playing for 10 games straight, staying in the gym, being there early and getting the work in. That's what's paying off for him now. You know, as a vet on this team, you see those things and you know, this guy been in the gym, and when his number get called, he's either going to be ready or not. We have confidence in Jordan because we know how it's been going in the gym all year long.

Q. Iguodala, the last play of the game, you guys were really hyped up, looked like you wanted to play immediately after that. What's your thoughts on him making that defensive play at the end of the game?
DRAYMOND GREEN: Oh, it's not a surprise because he gets that strip quite a bit. I think the most important thing right there in that situation is Dre's intelligent. You see Dame break the three-point line and try to push off and step back. Dre wasn't going to let him go, so once he tried to push off, Dre was already bracing for the push-off because he was trying to take the three away, anyway.

So you know, so many times, you know, as a player, naturally, when a guy get by you, you're going to try to recover. That's just a mindset, like a guy beats you, you're going to try to recover. That's what he's trying to go for right there. We've all seen a million times Dame drive left and he steps back and shoots a three.

We've seen that story before. Dre was ready for it, and no matter how far he had got by him or was about to get by him, he didn't try to recover. He just stayed on his hip and he was ready to take a three-point shot away, and then I think at this point, now that's a patented move for him where he's going to strip the offensive player when they go to try to shoot the ball and he got a good one right there and closed the game out for us.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297