Steph Curry looked on with incredulity at the officials as they decided to toss Draymond Green out for a Flagrant 2 foul on Brandon Clarke. After nearly 24 minutes of action in Game 1, the Golden State Warriors were in trouble against the Memphis Grizzlies as they lost their key defender.
Green, now suddenly the Warrior’s leading cheerleader, played his supporting role to perfection. The former Defensive Player of the Year on his podcast revealed the pep talk that helped get his team going:
“I told the guys at halftime I said, ‘Go out and take this game, that’ll be a gut punch. This is a game we are not supposed to win. We are not playing our best basketball, we’re not shooting well.’ Klay Thompson’s with three fouls, Gary Payton with three fouls, Steph Curry with three fouls, I’m ejected.”“‘Go out and take the game. Go take their punch, throw punches back and just go steal the game. Win the game however we need to win the game. It’s not gonna be pretty, just go win the game.’ And the guys, they did it! And it was beautiful to see.”
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Draymond Green’s ferociousness is so baked into the Warriors now, they play with it even when he’s ejected. A chip on all their shoulders.
Draymond Green’s likely fiery speech helped push the Warriors to their best quarter of the game and overturn the six-point deficit when the first half ended. Golden State seemed to regain their bearings and did exactly as Green instructed.
Jordan Poole came up big, draining 12-20 field-goal attempts, including 5-10 from three-point distance. Steph Curry and Klay Thompson continued their aggressiveness despite their struggles. The “Splash Brothers”
Just a monster of a series opening win for the Warriors on the road. Done without an ejected Draymond Green in the second half. Jordan Poole had 31 points off the bench. Klay Thompson hit go-ahead 3. Steph Curry had 24. Game 2 on Tuesday with Draymond back.
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Thompson, in particular, made the biggest defensive play of the night as he used his length and anticipation to force Ja Morant to miss at the buzzer.
Without Draymond Green, Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors took the Memphis Grizzlies’ best shot and still wonThe Warriors refused to buckle under adversity and pulled a stunning win on the road against the Grizzlies. [Golden State of Mind]
The Warriors refused to buckle under adversity and pulled a stunning win on the road against the Grizzlies. [Golden State of Mind]
Ja Morant made four 3-point shots in Game 1, which is his total number of threes made in their series against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Jaren Jackson Jr. shot better than Steph Curry or Klay Thompson, missing only three of nine attempts from long-distance.
Draymond Green was ejected with 1:18 left in the first half. Gary Payton II, Ja Morant’s main defensive stopper, was handcuffed due to foul trouble. Ditto for Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.
As if that wasn’t enough, Thompson, one of the game’s deadliest free throw shooters, miffed two crucial free throws. Despite all of that, the Warriors still managed to pull victory from the jaws of defeat.
Fifth Warrior to ever drop 30+ off the bench in a playoff game? That’s just the wave.
Golden State won a game they had no business winning, which will only make them more confident going 2-2 in Memphis. Draymond Green is back while Steph Curry and Klay Thompson aren’t likely to miss the same open shots they took in Game 1.
