NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS: LAKERS vs WARRIORS

May 4, 2023

JaMychal Green

Media Conference

Golden State Warriors 127, Los Angeles Lakers 100

Q. Draymond said that you've been through a lot this season and you've persevered. Speak to your play tonight -- he said this is the series for you what does that mean to you? And what does it mean to be able to do this after the year you've had?

JaMYCHAL GREEN: It feels good to be able to do this after the year I had. It's been a rough one. You know, haven't been through nothing like this before. I feel like this is a year of growth for me. I feel like if I can get through this, I can get through anything. I want to thank God for keeping me with it and just staying ready.

Q. How you played tonight?

JaMYCHAL GREEN: Glad I played well. Been waiting on this moment. Just want to show that I could help. I'm here to help the team, and so it was just me staying ready.

Q. Are you surprised how open, a lot of guys, but even you?

JaMYCHAL GREEN: I really don't care. They continue to do that. Keep us open.

Q. That's obviously why they made the adjustment to get your shooting out there. Did you know going into this series that this was a matchup that's conducive to you?

JaMYCHAL GREEN: They always tell me to stay ready. They say this before and that my time will come. The first series, even though I was kind of struggling a little, but we had a team meeting and Steph, he said some powerful words and it kind of got me locked in and let go of everything and just all about the team.

Q. Draymond was saying that you were a dog, which we've heard that before. But when you knew you were going to start, is there a different mentality there?

JaMYCHAL GREEN: It's playoff time, so it's already a different mentality coming in. Just got to be physical. They will let you play a little more, bang more in the post. So my mindset is just to hit. That's just on defense what I do, and just hit whoever come through that lane.

Q. And what did you think after you lost Game 1? What was going through your mind?

JaMYCHAL GREEN: Physicality. They punched us in the mouth first, with AD, 30 and 20. We can't let that happen. Their role players got going. So we knew coming in tonight that we got to step up the physicality.

Q. Going into a game like tonight and losing and the adversity that comes with it, how do you prepare yourself mentally tonight to be able to make the impact that you did?

JaMYCHAL GREEN: That was a quick turnaround. The game schemes had to change. We were used to some things we set. So with the quick turnaround, we just organized a little bit sometimes, so having another day to watch film and understand the team, I think it helped us out a lot.

Q. You just mentioned Steph's speech last series, and then staying ready. Obviously easier said than done, just with the emotions and wanting to be out there. Is there anything that you do specifically to kind of be able to stay locked in so you could have nights like these, whether it's taking folks away from basketball, maybe to decompress or anything?

JaMYCHAL GREEN: Just trying to realize it's a business and we're a team, so I don't want to come out and be selfish and not buy into what the team got going. So my whole thing is just letting everything go and just be ready when my name called. Just stay in the gym and make sure I continue to get that work in.

Q. Steve Kerr has said that that Klay 37-point third quarter felt like a religious experience for him. When Klay goes off like he does and makes a shot, runs up to the corner, what's that experience like for you as a teammate watching Klay do that?

JaMYCHAL GREEN: It's crazy for me on the bench, some of the shots, and he knocking them down, 70, 80 percent of the time, so like, it's crazy. The way he shoot, man, I never seen it before.

Q. You mentioned not want to go let AD get 30 and 20 again and Draymond said he was disgusted with his own performance in Game 1 defensively. He obviously game out with a different energy tonight. What does it do for your team when you see Draymond playing with that kind of force and physicality?

JaMYCHAL GREEN: He does it every game. Game-in, game-out. It's just what we expect from him. He the horse for the team that get us going. We feed off his energy. He just did a great job tonight. Last game I went to him after the game and told him, "You got to be more aggressive. Don't forget who you are. You are the lead for a reason." And he showed it tonight.