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Kendra AndrewsESPN
Draymond Green With a clear mind, I entered Game 2 in the NBA Finals with this mindset: Bring force.
Green declared that “I wouldn’t be capable of living with myself if we couldn’t meet force with force because we couldn’t meet force with force” before practice in Boston on Tuesday. “So, I think that was just kinda it for me. Understanding that, like I stated, that is my Department. This is where I am supposed to lead and I cannot let my men down.”
Green was most struck by the lack of physicality when he viewed Game 1’s film. Green felt the Warriors had won the game for 42 minutes. However, when they let go of the gas in the fourth quarter the Celtics took advantage.
It was their No. 1 adjustment.
Green’s intense play was evident immediately. Green tied Al Horford at the 3-point line and forced a turnover on his first possession. It set the tone of how he would play throughout the night.
Marcus Smart and Horford Derrick White They combined to shoot 6-for-23 from behind the arc in Game 2. They were able to make 15 of the 23 attempts from 3-point range in Game 1.
Green stated, “You get to NBA Finals and physicality is key. It’s something you bring to the game. I didn’t feel that they felt enough about me when I watched the movie. This stage, at this level, is impossible. A team that doesn’t feel you can make you lose. It’s a shame. Once you reach this point, you have to lose because the team is better than you.
Green attributes his natural forceful and physical nature to the place he grew-up (Saginaw in Michigan) as well as to the era of basketball that he was exposed to as a kid.
“Playing at Vets Park and the Civitan Recreation Centre, I was obviously a big fan of guys like these growing up. Gary Payton, Rasheed Wallace,” Green said. “I watched all those guys go about their business. Dennis Rodman. Having seen these guys over the years, I have a great appreciation for Uncle Oak and how he enforced things. It is part of the game. This is a skill.
Green feels Game 2 was not only an expression of the intensity that he and the Warriors needed after the opening game, but it was also what they required to close out the series.