NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS: LAKERS vs WARRIORS

May 4, 2023

Draymond Green

Media Conference

Golden State Warriors 127, Los Angeles Lakers 100

Q. Draymond, when you get an early sign that Klay is climbing into that sort of zone and he seemed very bouncy from the start, as Steve said he got a lot of clean looks, some wide open looks early, what's the vibe sort of you got from him right from the start?

DRAYMOND GREEN: I just knew he was locked in. He was really pissed off with our performance over, well, yesterday, from the other day and coming into today, and he was dialed in. When he's getting great looks like that, we know he's one of best shooters to ever play this game.

So it's on us to make sure we are finding him and screening for him and making sure he's getting open looks, and I think we did a better job of that tonight. And he found can got to the spots that he wanted to get to and he was huge for us.

Q. After Game 1 you categorized your performance as disgusting and you guys come in here and go small and spending a lot of time on AD. Heading into this game, especially when Kevon is out of the starting lineup, what is your mindset and how do you assess your performance?

DRAYMOND GREEN: Just to be aggressive on both ends of the floor. Last game, I felt like -- I never want to feel like that leaving the game again. I never want to leave a game feeling like that. I was disgusted with my performance as if I didn't know how to play on both ends.

Chris DeMarco showed me some film yesterday, and said, I don't know who this guy is defensively. They were all defensive clips. And ^ they were pretty much through the first three quarters, and showed me myself in the fourth quarter and he said, "This is I guy I know. So show up that way tomorrow."

I took that to the heart and I knew that I had to come out and have a good game in order for us to win. Obviously we were able to win pretty handily but I knew I had to come out and be aggressive on both ends of the ball and be decisive.

I thought last -- Game 1 on I was very indecisive on both ends, and I just wanted to change that tonight.

Q. I threw you a comment earlier about your game day outfit. Were you trying to channel Griezmann?

DRAYMOND GREEN: Of course, Griez is great. He's been doing it at a high level for a long time. I had the opportunity of meeting him a couple of times, absolutely incredible but looking forward to that game this summer.

I've been to a few of those over the course of the years, a couple out here, I been to the one in L.A.; I went to El Classico in Miami, the ICC International Champions Cup put on. I knew they were going to be coming out here this summer.

I'm going to be an honorary captain for that game and I was just excited. I got the jersey and wanted to wear it and it led to some good luck for us.

Q. Can you take us inside the changes and tweaks you guys made tonight?

DRAYMOND GREEN: We played with more force. We played with more force on both sides of the ball. The ball didn't stick. We moved the ball and got everybody involved in the offense and that was big for us.

When we are moving the ball like that, everybody is involved, it makes us a lot tougher to guard but I think it all started on the defensive end, though. We met force with force on the defensive end and we were able to rebound the ball well and when you're not playing against a set defense every time down the court we fouled so much the last game and we were on the free throw line and it seemed like every play. That's tough.

That's a great defensive team. You're playing against that defense every time down the floor just set waiting on you to come down, it's a lot tougher to score, so I think our defense led to some better offense for us, and you know, that was good.

Q. Along those lines, what did it mean to see JaMychal come through like that? Even months ago, you said the other guys are getting prepared to shine on the big stage come playoff time.

DRAYMOND GREEN: I've known JaMychal since I was 16, 17 years old. I've been competing against him, and he a dog, always has been a dog. You get thrust into a situation that you've never been in in your life and your career where you're not playing much, may play a couple games and then not play a few games, and that takes some adjusting.

I think throughout the course of this year, he's been adjusting to that, and it's coming together at the right time. Every time his number is called, he's ready. He was ready to go, Game 3, he stepped up huge and he was ready to go every time his number was called last series and he was ready to go Game 1 when his number was called and tonight stepped up like a true professional and a dog.

We knew we needed -- with Loon not being in the lineup, we knew we needed some dog out there and he stepped up for us in a big way.

Q. The force you talk about, you guys made it more difficult for Davis in there tonight, didn't you -- how important was that to change his looks and to alter his game?

DRAYMOND GREEN: I mean, it's very important. You know, AD is a great player, and when you allow him to get to the spots he want to get to, there's a reason he wants to get to those spots. He's great at it, and he's not going to miss many. When you try to make him do things on our terms, make it a little bit tougher.

Now in saying that, you can play that same defense and he can have a great game and that's why he's great and that's why he's been great for this long. But I think for us, we've just got to make them take tough contested shots. If you do the best you can do defensively, you have to live with the result.

Q. Do they like sag off you guys more than other teams? Are they more egregious?

DRAYMOND GREEN: Yeah, but when you've got Anthony Davis, though, you can get away with a little bit more. I thought we did a better job of exploiting it tonight and we'll look to continue doing that.

Q. Why is it so important to bring your kids up there with you and have these moments with them?

DRAYMOND GREEN: Well, they love coming up here (laughter) and -- all right, D.J. said he's out now and Cash copies. All right.

I think we -- (talking to Cash) tell him to stop copying you -- one second, let Papa finish, okay.

We miss so much times with our kids, and I think that's every working parents, right. It's not just us as basketball players. You have an obligation to provide for your child. Growing up in the circumstances that I grew up in, I never want them to experience that.

With that comes a lot of work, and the times that you miss, it sucks. I think anyone in here who is a parents understands that. When you're able to share these moments with them, it's special. I'll look back at some of these pictures, look back at some of these interviews and moment, you appreciate them.

I'm always thankful of the Warriors organization and the NBA as a whole, because they don't have to allow our kids to be up here. It's not something that they have to do, and I understand that. Very appreciative of them allowing that because I think we always talk about, like kid energy in here. You bring the kid energy, it just lightens the mood. It's always so serious and you do this over and over and over again and when you're just able to get the energy of children in here, it's always special.

So that's something I don't take for granted and I'm very appreciative of, like I said, of that organization and the access they allow our children to have and also the NBA as a whole, as a league. Like our league embraces us having our children around, and it's such a special thing because these are memories that will last a lifetime. This is documented. Like I'll be able to find this interview forever. I'll be able to find these pictures forever and it's special.

Q. You talked about improving the defense today and shutting down Anthony Davis. How do you take that into L.A. with such a rough crowd and go there and do what you have to do?

DRAYMOND GREEN: You have to take the show on the road. It's a lot easier to do things at home than it is on the road but for me I have to approach the game with the same mindset and physicality and knowing that he's going home and he's going to be more aggressive, and you've got to expect that, but try to defend him without fouling. Make him take tough lots.

Like I said, if I can make him take tough shots, whether it's here or on the road, if I can make him take tough shots, I've just got to live with the results. Sometimes he's going to make them, and sometimes he's going to miss them but try not to give up the easy ones.

Q. I heard you, I believe, I heard you right after the game, I believe it was your babies, they were like, we got this one and you said, we've got to go get one or two in L.A. If you can elaborate on it, I know you gave a really great answer about your kids just then, but those moments, especially when you were disgusted with your play a game ago and you walk out and you have that to celebrate as you're walking to the locker room, what is that like for you? Those pictures of Steph and his dad when he was a kid aged well and I'm sure these will, too.

DRAYMOND GREEN: Absolutely. I think, you know, when we lose, I don't bring them back. You know, like you just -- you're trying to figure stuff out, way more serious and they don't get the opportunity.

So No. 1, that's always more incentive to try to get a win and this guy doesn't let me live it down when we lose. "Daddy, why did we lose? How did we lose? What happened here? What happened there?" (Laughter).

So you know, I'm -- yeah. So I'm always conscious of that and I always try to teach them, like winners win, and you can't be teaching him and talking to him and her and my daughter, Olive, and telling them winners win and you're collecting L's. Like that's not a special thing.

Just being able to have those walks with them down this tunnel, it's important, and it's huge and they love it, and I think, you know, any time as a parent you can provide things for your kids that you know they love, it's always an extra added bonus and incentives and make you want to do more that and put more effort into being great.

Last night I was here at the gym and he was here with me, Olive was here with me -- and it just pushes you way harder knowing that they are watching every single thing you do.