Draymond Green took to his post-game press conference to speak on losing against the Los Angeles Clippers in OT tonight. Now, instead of securing one of the locked-in seeds, the Warriors will have to participate in the NBA Play-In tournament against the Grizzlies. Although it’s a good rematch of a series we saw back in 2022, which got testy. So, maybe this will be another must-see matchup.
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In a game that ultimately decided the Warriors’ fate on being a sixth or seventh seed, it came down to the wire. Down 119-121, the Dubs got the ball back with a chance to tie in the final minute of overtime. Naturally, Stephen Curry drew a double team, so he passed to an open teammate.
Then, Draymond stood wide open under the basket, calling for the ball. Well, he got it, then proceeded to try to initiate contact with Kawhi Leonard. This caused him to miss a wide-open layup.
Sure, nothing is guaranteed, even if Draymond made the layup. But at least the game would’ve been tied. The Warriors were then forced to foul, and Kawhi gave them another chance to win the game after missing a free throw. Yet, they couldn’t get the game-tying three to fall. Instead of taking responsibility for his error that led to the 119-124 loss, Draymond decided to keep a positive outlook on the lack of rest they would now get.
“We’re not senior citizens. We’re high-level basketball players. We’ll be fine. No disrespect to senior citizens.”
Draymond Green on not having a week off to rest after losing today and now having to play in the play-in: “We’re not senior citizens. We’re high level basketball players. We’ll be fine. No disrespect to senior citizens.”
— Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) April 13, 2025
Looking ahead to the Grizzlies series, the Warriors match up with them fairly well. They went 3-1 against them in the season. However, they won each game by less than 10, and the one game they lost was by 51.
The last time we saw these two meet in the playoffs was in the 2022 Western Conference Semifinals. The Grizzlies were emerging as a young and imposing threat behind Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson, and Desmond Bane. But the veteran talent of Curry, Draymond, and Klay Thompson was able to win the series 4-2. The Warriors would go on to win the NBA Finals that season against the Boston Celtics.
The Dubs’ loss cannot be blamed on Draymond Green
This loss wasn’t all Draymond’s fault, though. Steve Kerr was lambasted by Warriors fans after the game for having Buddy Hield take the final shot instead of Curry. Partially because Steph had 36 points and was hot, but also because this is the same play Kerr has run for the last 11 seasons when tasked with drawing up a final shot.
THIS GUY JUST SUBBED BUDDY HEILD IN TO TAKE THE LAST SHOT AND STEPH HAS 36 POINTS. BRO DOESNT HAVE ONE PLAY TO GET STEPH OPEN FOR A LAST SHOT AFTER 11 YEARS ! AWFUL … pic.twitter.com/PgxU7t1FLO
— Famouslos32 (@famouslos32) April 13, 2025
It’s wild to imagine that with the greatest shooter in NBA history, one of the best coaches in the league hasn’t crafted a go-to final play for his sharpshooter. Maybe it worked when Klay was around as an elite second option. But Hield should never be the guy who takes a season-defining shot.
So, while it’s embarrassing that Draymond Green chipped an easy layup that would’ve tied the game, it’s also confounding as to why Kerr gave the final shot to Hield and not Curry. It doesn’t matter if the shot is from half-court; with the season on the line, you want the ball in the hands of Curry.
