Hey Draymond, How to win friends and not make enemies: Smile at the ref when it's a correct call and shake you head when is a bad call. If you had not been disqualified in the last game of the Cleveland playoffs , you would have another ring.
7
Green is not a role player. He's a prototype Warrior player, an inside-outside guy who can play multiple positions and do a lot of different things. And toughness.
He's a hall-of-famer, and emblematic of how the game is played today.
sincerely,
a Cavs fan
28
Draymond used to be my favorite player, but he hasn't been as good the past season or two. But wow was he great in game 3! It reminded me of why I used to enjoy watching him play so much.
5
My question while reading the Draymond article is why is Mark Stein’s Twitter comment included? My guess is he must be a hoops guru no? Please excuse my ignorance as I have been reading NYTimes.com only since around Donald Trumps victory.
1
Izzo crafts another great player!!
16
Green's dominance, and the Warriors' overall performance in this series, seems to further discount Kevin Durant's legacy and the impact coming to the Warriors will ultimately have on his standing among the best to ever play. With the trio of Green, Curry, and Thompson at peek performance, their domination of the Blazers makes clear that history will not look favorably on Durant joining such a stacked team.
2
@Lawrence Cry baby. The Lakers era of dominance is over, and never to return in my life time.
3
@Lawrence The Warriors need KD to maintain their dynasty. Partly to keep anyone else from having him.
4
I never wanted to subscribe to the “shut up and dribble” mentality, but I confess there were times when I watched Draymond rage at refs and winced as I waited for another technical or an escort off the court. I’m happy he’s managed to find that line between keeping his passion and moderating his indignation. I’m sure it hasn’t been easy.
And a 20 pound weight loss heading into the playoffs hasn’t hurt. He looks like a completely different player out there. Here’s to Draymond 2.3!
36
It’s been a pleasure watching Green play, especially Game 3. I always found his antics obnoxious and annoying before, but now I see just how valuable he is. I hate the constant complaining and arguing overall, instead of just focusing on playing better and helping other teammates.
15
No Warriors fans in my house. But watching Green's play in Game 3 was mind-blowing. In the 3rd quarter, Green stampeded the ball up-court so fast and hard that the Blazers couldn't get in his way: Green got a series of near-uncontested layups, or hit the open man on the wing for an open three. It was a devastating run, one of the best I have ever seen. And nearly all orchestrated by Draymond Green. This was a master class on how to take over a game without a jump shot taken. Brilliant!
58
@Metastasis - You pretty much stole my comment, except I would have said "gob-smacking". I clued into his play in the second qtr. and couldn't take my eyes off him. He looked like he was playing a different game than the other players - so much so that even the motormouth TV guys stopped blabbing about back when they played and credited him for his effort (side note: is any sport worse announced and broadcast than pro hoops??).
Great as Durant is, I prefer the way the Warriors play without him.
24
@Metastasis In reply to "Miss Anne Thorpe," there is no worse sport announcing than announced and broadcast than pro hoops. Commercials overlapping into game time, coach interviews taped earlier being shown during active play, etc.
You can add to that criticism that there is no sport more poorly officiated than pro hoops. I turned off last night's (Sunday) Bucks/Raptors game after three possessions in quick succession resulted in contested rebounds - the two against the Raptors resulted in foul calls; the one against the Bucks was not called. All three plays were virtually identical, and the ref had an unobstructed view of the players during the uncalled foul.
I'm a Warriors fan, but have been discussed by the poor officiating during these playoffs.
5
The "new Green deal" getting done what needs to get done.
30
I’ve never liked Draymond Green, mainly because of the antics described in this article. But man, he played some game on Saturday. Even though I wanted Portland to win, it was impossible not to be impressed.
15
The San Francisco Bay Area fans have had an amazing run. The 49er dynasty of the late 80's, early 90's; the S.F Giants winning the world series 3 times in 6 seasons recently; and now one of the most selfless, fun, great, basketball teams to ever play . Go dubs
47
Draymond is always the man - I really never worried about the T's - he was usually right about the bad call or two. Give him credit where it's so richly deserved. And add to the mix that indefatigable "old man", Andre Igoudala - I can't imagine a better player to watch your back - and you have a genuine NBA revival tent meeting.
33
No disrespect to KD, who is probably the best all-around player in the league today, but the Hampton's Five are doing just fine. If he wants to take his thin skin to the circus that is Knicks ownership and the NY media scrum, so be it. But hanging in the Bay area and joining the Warriors' move to the new arena with a max extension doesn't seem like a bad way to go.
15
Hate them if you wish. The Dubs are poetry in motion and can play any style of basketball required. They are a dynasty every bit as good as any Laker or Celtic team you can name. It snuck up on ya’ll but they have more than what it takes to win it all. With Cousins and Durant they would wipe the floor with every other wannabe contender. At half strength they are still burying Portland.
20
@Draw Man
If Curry and Thompson are on the court, they are definitely not playing at half strength without KD. The Splash Brothers were great before he ever got there, and Draymond just seals the deal.
22
It will be interesting to see how they do against Milwaukee. My money was on Milwaukee until Green's emergence as a star playmaker with a serene demeanor. Now I'm not too sure.
13
The latest lean,mean Green Machine is hitting on all cylinders.
A joy to watch. The old esprit d'corps is back. Kevin who?
6
Glad to hear Draymond is finally growing up. it was getting REALLY TIRESOME watching and hearing him complain all the time. players complain way too much. it's always "who? me?" that's not what we're paying for. shut up and play ball.
7
First, Green is a very intelligent person and it is not just basketball intelligence. Secondly, Klay Thompson is a guard not a forward. He stifles small guards like Portland has.
12
I must say I have zero sympathy for Draymond (due to his, for me, unbearable personality) but he is by far the best player of GSW since Durant's injury, all things considered - you cannot expect him to score 35 with 8 3's or to have 20 rebounds but he does all you would expect him to do, double. His omnipresence and zeal is remarkable, he is 3x faster and has 5x more energy than the sleepy and turbid POR guards (hello Lillard, a child lost in thoughts), he can stay his ground vs. much bigger and taller centers, he eagerly assists, rebounds here, there everywhere, he constantly nudges his teammates and is the leader in every sense of the word.
His contribution is by far the biggest in closing the holes caused by Durant's injury.
I do not support GSW in any sense and am sort of sorry to be writing this but this guy is totally commendable.
14
I've followed Draymond Green since he was a high schooler in Saginaw
He's one of the most complete and underrated players in the NBA. Watch him play four or five games and you'll see he's got the highest basketball IQ in the game.
28
@Luciano
Word, Luciano. I've watched him through all four years under Izzo, at first out of nostalgia for being a fellow Saginawian, and then simply out of love for the game and watching it played the way it is played best, as a team.
22
Saturday night's performance by Draymond transcended him from one of the best currently playing in the NBA, to one of the great players in the NBA - ever. That may sound a lofty claim, and 4 NBA titles with a likely three-peat would have been impossible without his monster energy, brilliant basketball mind, laser like passing,b when-it-counts scoring ability and Tyrannosaurus Rex style of defense.
It's so encouraging to see him calm his smack-talk tendencies and focus on what he is good at - annihilating opponents!
22
Green is a fantastic player filling a critical role.
Defender, rebounder, playmaker, passer, mostly taking shots in his repertoire.
He’s got the over-emotional business under control.
Green, Pippen, McHale, Duncan all made their teams much better because of their willingness to fill the necessary role.
The Warriors are fortunate to have him and kudos to Coach Kerr.
31
As a loyal CAVs fan, Draymond Green was always the player you loved to hate when the Warriors came to town. But, I reasoned, maybe every team needs a Green. He has a role to play. The wiser Green, playing with the same passion, but with a newfound perspective, is unbeatable. And, when he gives a quick pep talk to one of the younger players, he shows his empathy as a teammate and role model.
His sleek, fit appearance doesn't go unnoticed, either.
31
Green's performance in Game 3 against the Blazers was unbelievable. The gaudy triple double was noteworthy in its own right, but the individual impact, force of will and all out hustle were amazing. This was a single player performance for the ages--truly one of the great single game accomplishments in NBA history. This game alone, puts Green's career unmistakably on a Hall of Fame trajectory.
54
A focused head helps and makes good copy, but losing 23 pounds in the offseason probably has more to do with his numbers being up and his baseline-to-baseline speed has soared.
24
@John Swift21 Just FYI - Draymond lost 23 pounds at the end of the season to get ready for the playoffs
6
The signature of the Warriors is teamwork. They all bring something to the game and focus shifts on players from game to game, and they can be thrilling.
Draymond Green just pulls it all together. The last couple of games he has been like the ship on which the other players crew—absolutely in the moment, bringing his extraordinary intelligence, experience, speed, and resourcefulness to buoyi everybody up for the win.
Right now he is the most dependable player on the court.
45
With or without Durant the Warriors look like the best team in the NBA. Especially after the Raptors and Bucks wear each other out in the Eastern Final.
23
@Milton Lewis: Honestly, they LOOK better without Durant, because Durant is a ball stopper. Oh, I know they are probably better with Durant, because others can have terrible games and somebody will still be a red-hot shooter. But the Warriors are playing a FAR superior version of basketball when Durant is not in the arena. (Or, in the case of 2016, even when Durant was in the arena.)
26
I've been saying for the past three years that, KD and Steph may have been league MVPs, but Draymond is the Warrior's MVP, never more so than in the past 2 series.
52
I have watched the Warriors since 1965. But I stopped watching the Warriors, as well as the rest of the NBA, after the Jordan years.
The game was no longer fun to watch; no ball movement, no defense, no passion!
Passion . . . that's were Draymond Green excels. It's mind-boggling that he can keep his level of intensity constant over an entire NBA season and now into the playoff with a level of maturity we haven't seen before!
And now that's he's lost 23 lbs. with the prodding of Warriors GM Bob Myers, he's unbelievably fast for a man his size. His ability to get a rebound and drive it up the court reminds me of Bill Russell, but at a pace that makes Russell look slow, and that's saying something! ;)
65
Now, here's a Man: Showing up, absent of self-promotion, letting his effort and excellence speak all that needs to be said.
A reminder of the nobler scenes of my youth, of Kareem, Russell and Robinson.
It was a joy to behold, Draymond.
74
I've always said that if he wasn't on my team, I don't think I'd like Draymond very much. But as a Warriors fan, I love him. The passion and fire he brings to the game is amazing. He blew me away Saturday night. He is the heart of this Warriors team.
58
@Deborah: He's a superlative player. But "like?" Meh. My first playoff impression of him was in the 2015 Playoffs, Warriors vs. Grizzlies (Warriors won in 6). Mike Conley, with face mask and recently broken face, was knocked to the floor by Draymond, then pounded in the chest. Should have been an automatic ejection. And, honestly speaking, Draymond has never been punished enough for his antics, despite his antics costly the 2016 Warriors a title for just such a punishment. I and the rest of the league hope that he has finally turned over a new leaf. But I am continually disappointed by the degree to which the league fails to enforce basic guidelines of conduct. Or maybe I should say selectively enforces, in the interests of ratings.
@Metastasis
Indeed. I also wish the league did something about flopping. A tactic employed liberally by a couple of players on a certain team in east Texas.
21
@Metastasis
Fact check - in the video of the Conley play you mention (5/6/18), he was neither knocked down nor pounded in the chest by Green, and there's no sign of intent to harm. In fact, the play was reviewed in-game and no was foul assessed, and you think he should have been ejected? Let's deal in reality here. The NBA has clear rules for excessive contact and hands out many more flagrant fouls than they used to. Green is heavily scrutinized by the refs, which he has earned for sure, but he gets zero breaks from the refs or the league. Maybe you should find another example.
14
Could it possibly be that he is gaining a bit of maturity?
Good for him!
I will always wonder if any of the eyes that have been injured during contact with him were deliberate. If any of them were, perhaps he has matured sufficiently to cease that behavior also.
Defensively, he is a superb basketball player!
19