NBA FINALS: CELTICS VS. WARRIORS

June 13, 2022

Draymond Green

Golden State Warriors

Game 5: Postgame

Warriors 104, Celtics 94

Q. Draymond, did that feel like you out there on both ends of the court?

DRAYMOND GREEN: I felt more like myself, aggressive on both ends of the ball, but I felt a little more like myself in Game 4 as well, after an atrocious Game 3.

But you've just got to continue to build. Tonight is a great start, and I look forward to going into Game 6 with the same energy and effort.

Q. Third quarter this game, they won that third quarter, they jumped on you guys, and you flipped that around in that fourth quarter. What happened in the fourth quarter that let you get that advantage back?

DRAYMOND GREEN: I think the way we responded in the third quarter was huge, and Jordan hitting that shot right before the clock expired was a great momentum boost for us.

You know, when a team goes on a run like they did -- and it was more than a run -- they pretty much dominated the entire third quarter. For us to still go into the fourth quarter with the lead, that's huge. And I think that was something that we could build on, and we did.

You know, coming out there in the fourth quarter, we were able to get stops, and we got out in transition, got a couple easy buckets, and that was huge for us.

Q. Andrew Wiggins has been such a consistent presence for you all, all playoffs long, really. Can you speak to at what point that trust began to build that he was the guy you would look for in those moments?

DRAYMOND GREEN: That trust has been building for two and a half years now since he got here. A lot of people looked at that trade like, oh, that's another piece they can move.

We looked at the trade from the very beginning like that is a guy who can fit next to a healthy group absolutely well.

When he first came here, and I'll never forget, it was when Thibs [Tom Thibodeau] wasn't with the Knicks, and Thibs was like, you're going to love him. He competes. He defends. And he was telling us Jimmy loved him. And we all know how Jimmy Butler is. If you have any softness to you, Jimmy don't like you. That's how Jimmy is cut.

He's continued to show that. He's continued to get better. He's taken on every challenge that we have thrown in front of him. And that's been huge. And we need him to do that for one more win.

Q. Gary Payton II, you saw the injury, you saw the recovery. Take me through what you saw from him, and are you shocked he's doing what he's doing now?

DRAYMOND GREEN: I'm not shocked at all. I think G is someone who works, and he wouldn't be in that position if he didn't work the way that he does. And to see him bounce back from the injury like he did, it's like he picked up right where he left off at, which is what he's done all year.

He's defended. He's gotten putbacks. He comes up with loose balls. He's knocked his corner threes down. And, you know, he's been absolutely huge. You're talking a guy who made this team as the 15th man and then became a key part of our rotation.

It's no surprise that he had the game that he had and that he's had the impact on this series that, you know, we all hoped that he would get back because we knew that he could have that impact.

Q. Following up on the question about Wiggins, when did you see this determined grit and confidence on both ends just start to really reveal itself? That didn't happen right away.

DRAYMOND GREEN: No, that didn't happen right away. I think he started to feel it out, but coming into this year, he was an All-Star starter for a reason. He defended very well. He scored the ball very well and really just plugged right in. Like it wasn't like, oh, you need to call a set for him every time. He's kind of been getting it. He's continued to do that.

I think the bigger the challenge has been that we've thrown in front of him, the bigger he's responded. That's a guy -- you want a guy like that, when the stage get big, they respond and play their best basketball, and that's what he's been doing.

Q. You've spent a lot of your career after wins talking how amazing Steph is. Is it a different kind of satisfaction when it's a night like tonight, especially after Game 4, you all talked about need to go help him?

DRAYMOND GREEN: No, I don't think there's a different type of satisfaction. A win is a win. Whether Steph gets 43, 10, 4, or whether he finishes with 16-for-22 shooting, a win is a win. Obviously, we have spoke about helping him, and I don't think he's been out there helpless, like that's the narrative.

But everybody's doing their part, and tonight, a night that he didn't have it going, we found offense elsewhere, and that's kind of what it's been.

On the same token, if he's got it going, we're going to be heavy Steph Curry. That's just what it is. The whole notion of this guy doesn't -- he doesn't have help, well, you've got 43, he's going to keep shooting, and we're going to do all that we can to get him shooting it.

It was huge. Now, that's good for us. He was 0-for-9 from three. He's going to be livid going into Game 6, and that's exactly what we need.