Draymond Green gives Celtics bulletin board material by devaluing their Game 1 victory over Warriors

[bobheckler]

https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2022/06/draymond-green-gives-celtics-bulletin-board-material-by-devaluing-their-game-1-victory-over-warriors-brian-robb.html


Draymond Green gives Celtics bulletin board material by devaluing their Game 1 victory over Warriors



Updated: Jun. 03, 2022, 8:40 a.m. | Published: Jun. 03, 2022, 8:07 a.m.




SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 02: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics shoots a three point basket against Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors during the first quarter in Game One of the 2022 NBA Finals at Chase Center on June 02, 2022 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)Getty Images


By Brian Robb | brobb@masslive.com



Draymond Green is one of the most outspoken players in the NBA so it’s no surprise he tried to pour cold water on Boston’s comeback win over Golden State in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

It was a shocking result for the Warriors given their track record in the postseason on their home floor. They had never lost at home during these playoffs, going 9-0 over the first three rounds against the Nuggets, Grizzlies and Mavericks at the Chase Center before Game 1.


For a team that was 54-12 at home in the postseason dating back to the beginning of the Steve Kerr era in 2015, any setback is a surprising event. That’s particularly true for Game 1s as Golden State had won 13 straight in the postseason, the third-longest streak in NBA history for a franchise before the Celtics snapped it Thursday night.


With all of this knowledge, Green did his best to try to calm the nerves of his teammates and perhaps himself with what the Celtics pulled off in their dramatic fourth quarter rally.

“I think they stayed within striking distance, and they made shots late,” Green said. “So we’ll be fine. We’ll figure out the ways we can stop them from getting those threes and take them away. I don’t think it was a rhythm thing. We pretty much dominated the game for the first 41, 42 minutes. So we’ll be fine.”

Those are pretty hilarious comments for Green to make considering the fact the Celtics were ahead at halftime. Golden State dominated the third quarter and that was about it. Steph Curry dominated the first quarter but the Celtics still only trailed by four and they fought back and took the lead by halftime. That’s hardly dominating the game for 42 minutes but we will give Green a pass for the characterization, especially if it was a one-off remark.


Playing down Boston’s win with a subtle shot here or there would be understandable given Green’s straight-shooting history. However, for just about every time he tried to credit Boston for their victory in his press conference, he almost went out of his way to belittle what the Celtics did in other answers. He even made a point of singling out Celtics players for hot shooting nights, throwing doubt on the possibility they could do it again.

“They hit 21 threes, and Marcus Smart and Al Horford and Derrick White combined for 15 of them,” Green said. “The guys are good shooters, but they combined for, what, 15-for-23 from those guys, eh, you know, so, we’ll be fine.”


This is a dangerous path for Green to go down on a number of fronts. To begin, this is motivating bulletin board material for Boston, something that did not go well for Bruce Brown ahead of the Nets series with Boston in the first round. Smart and White are up-and-down shooters but they are highly capable of knocking down wide open 3s on any given night and that’s exactly what Golden State was giving them in the fourth quarter of Game 1 as they tried to shift manpower to Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Meanwhile, Horford is shooting 46 percent from 3-point range during this postseason. The smart money says he will continue to make open 3s if they are.

The Celtics probably won’t acknowledge it publicly but it’s almost a certainty Green’s talk will get back to Boston’s locker room and potentially add a little more fuel to the fire for this group.


Beyond the bulletin board material, Green’s insistence that the Warriors have nothing to worry about goes against the fourth quarter film. Boston made a number of major counters (playing smaller with more shooters) and the Warriors simply did not have an answer for it on either end of the floor.

Golden State’s defensive scheme led to the wide-open looks as the team sent help with multiple bodies towards Brown and Tatum as they handled the ball time after time. Ime Udoka has had this group training for this scenario all year long and they were ready for the challenge when the chips were down in the fourth quarter of Game 1.

So what exactly is the answer here for the Warriors after this Celtics adjustment? They can stay home on Boston’s shooters but that will leave their individuals defenders overmatched against Brown and Tatum. That means there is no easy tweak for Steve Kerr to fix this conundrum despite Green’s confident swagger. Those open looks are probably going to be there all series long. The Celtics robably won’t shoot 75 percent again from 3 in a quarter but they still put together efficient shooting nights with those looks.


Green also pointed to recent history for his confidence for a Warriors bounce back despite the fact this is Golden State’s first postseason appearance since 2019.

“And our history, we’ve always won one on the road,” Green said. “So, you know, it’s just nothing to panic about. It’s the first team to win four games, not the first to win one. So I think that’s where the confidence comes from, just understand that.”

The bottom line is Boston’s fourth quarter may have showcased some serious flaws in Golden State’s plan of attack. Rather than simply tipping his cap, Green gave little weight to what the Celtics did in Game 1, conveniently ignoring the fact they had the best offense in the NBA during the second half of the season.


There’s a long way to go in this series but Green may end up eating his words after his postgame brashness.


Bob


.

[dboss]

This is not bulletin board material.

Some of what he said is correct. The shooting performance from Horford, Smart and White is not something expected throughout a 7 game series.

However both him and Steph stated that they dominated the game for the first 41, 42 minutes. Maybe they did not remember that we had a 2 point lead at halftime after spotting them some points. Those guys have very selective memory.

This game was not just about our 40 point third QTR. It was also about their 16 point 4th QTR.

Draymond would have done himself and his team a favor by simply stating that we kicked their ass.

[dbrown4]

I don't even think Draymond will panic if we win G2. He will start losing his shoot if we come home to Boston and give the our fans what they deserve after G6 vs. MIA. We'll know the wheels are coming off when he starts barking with the refs every play when things aren't going their way and he gets ejected. Just a heads up. Winning G2 will go a long way to making that come true.

db

[willjr]

I don't even think Draymond will panic if we win G2.  He will start losing his shoot if we come home to Boston and give the our fans what they deserve after G6 vs. MIA.  We'll know the wheels are coming off when he starts barking with the refs every play when things aren't going their way and he gets ejected.  Just a heads up.  Winning G2 will go a long way to making that come true.  

db

IMO Draymond is in for a long, painful and disappointing series. We have to much length and beef for him to contend with game after game. Big Al, DT, RWIII, and GW will bang him physically, frustrate and bother him. When he’s on offense, with our length (not GW), he will have a devil of a time playmaking around our trees and long branches surrounding him. If we had Giannis and Bam tongues dragging and ribs sore by series end, well Dray, we don’t expect you to panic but you will have to acknowledge.

[dbrown4]

willjr,

I think Draymond will respect us if we sweep them. That would at least shut him up.

db

[Ktron]

willjr,

I think Draymond will respect us if we sweep them.  That would at least shut him up.    

db

Draymond respects us now. He’s too smart not to. He’s also smart enough not to say it-yet!

[dbrown4]

Yeah, Ktron, it needs to be proven to him beyond a shadow of a doubt!!

db

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