Draymond keeps emotions in check to make Warriors’ Game 4-winning play originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – With five personal fouls including a Flagrant 1, not to mention yet another technical, Warriors forward Draymond Green had no intentions of slowing down his aggressive nature on defense or doing anything to alter his style on Monday night at Chase Center.
The only real issue for the former NBA Defensive Player of the Year was to avoid picking up a silly foul, which was a serious reality during a game when fouls were given out like candy.
In Green’s mind, it was well worth the risk of picking up his sixth and final foul rather than alter his game because of the situation.
“Just not pick up a cheap one, but I’m never going to be one of the guys that just because you got five [fouls] you don’t defend,” Green said after the Warriors’ 109-106 Game 4 win over the Houston Rockets. “I feel very confident in my defensive ability to defend without fouling. In that situation, you have to make sure your fundamentals are clean. That’s what I try to do.”
Green kept his emotions and fouls in check long enough to make the winning play of the game.
With the Dubs clinging to a 107-106 lead and the final seconds ticking away in the fourth quarter, Rockets center Alperen Şengün got the ball above the arc and tried to drive toward the left side of the key, looking for a go-ahead bucket. Instead, he got below the free-throw line and bumped into Green, who forced the former first-round draft pick into a rushed hook shot that missed the mark with 4 seconds left to play.
Houston had another chance to tie the game a few seconds later when Fred VanVleet missed a 3-point attempt, allowing Golden State to take a very comfortable 3-1 lead in the first-round NBA playoff series.
“He knows we must have Draymond on the floor in order to win,” Jimmy Butler said. “The amount of poise he has when everything he does, it’s always blown out of proportion. To stay so calm, to come out there [and] get stops … a special human being. That’s why he’s the hustle man of the year. Remember that.”
Green indeed was selected as the 2024-25 NBA Hustle Award winner, though he had been making a serious case – on the court and in the media – to win his second DPOY Award.
When that didn’t happen, Green reacted just like he did when he was in foul trouble against the Rockets. No reason to make a big fuss. Just keep it pushing.
“Draymond always walks the line, he always teeters on that line. He’s an emotional force, a physical force and he just can’t cross the line. He knows that,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “He’s done a great job of playing through the frustrations. This is a tough series for him. The way the game is being played, they’ve kind of taken the ball out of his hands a little it. He’s done a really good job of dealing with the frustration and competing. The last two games his fourth-quarter defense keyed everything.
“He’s the best defender I’ve ever seen in my life. He rises to the occasion. On top of being a great defender, he’s an incredible competitor.”
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Draymond keeps emotions in check to make Warriors’ Game 4-winning play
SAN FRANCISCO – With five personal fouls including a Flagrant 1, not to mention yet another technical, Warriors forward Draymond Green had no intentions of slowing down his aggressive nature on defense or doing anything to alter his style on Monday night at Chase Center.
The only real issue for the former NBA Defensive Player of the Year was to avoid picking up a silly foul, which was a serious reality during a game when fouls were given out like candy.
In Green’s mind, it was well worth the risk of picking up his sixth and final foul rather than alter his game because of the situation.
SIGN UP HERE “Just not pick up a cheap one, but I’m never going to be one of the guys that just because you got five [fouls] you don’t defend,” Green said after the Warriors’ 109-106 Game 4 win over the Houston Rockets. “I feel very confident in my defensive ability to defend without fouling. In that situation, you have to make sure your fundamentals are clean. That’s what I try to do.”
Green kept his emotions and fouls in check long enough to make the winning play of the game.
With the Dubs clinging to a 107-106 lead and the final seconds ticking away in the fourth quarter, Rockets center Alperen Şengün got the ball above the arc and tried to drive toward the left side of the key, looking for a go-ahead bucket. Instead, he got below the free-throw line and bumped into Green, who forced the former first-round draft pick into a rushed hook shot that missed the mark with 4 seconds left to play.
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Houston had another chance to tie the game a few seconds later when Fred VanVleet missed a 3-point attempt, allowing Golden State to take a very comfortable 3-1 lead in the first-round NBA playoff series.
“He knows we must have Draymond on the floor in order to win,” Jimmy Butler said. “The amount of poise he has when everything he does, it’s always blown out of proportion. To stay so calm, to come out there [and] get stops … a special human being. That’s why he’s the hustle man of the year. Remember that.”
Green indeed was selected as the 2024-25 NBA Hustle Award winner, though he had been making a serious case – on the court and in the media – to win his second DPOY Award.
When that didn’t happen, Green reacted just like he did when he was in foul trouble against the Rockets. No reason to make a big fuss. Just keep it pushing.
“Draymond always walks the line, he always teeters on that line. He’s an emotional force, a physical force and he just can’t cross the line. He knows that,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “He’s done a great job of playing through the frustrations. This is a tough series for him. The way the game is being played, they’ve kind of taken the ball out of his hands a little it. He’s done a really good job of dealing with the frustration and competing. The last two games his fourth-quarter defense keyed everything.
“He’s the best defender I’ve ever seen in my life. He rises to the occasion. On top of being a great defender, he’s an incredible competitor.”
Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast
