Warriors forward Draymond Green is considered one of the smartest basketball players in the NBA, but he was against the San Antonio Spurs a few light years before the competition on Monday night.
It was a back-and-forth affair in San Antonio, with lead changes throughout. A hat-trick by Spurs guard Dejounte Murray – which included 27 points, eight rebounds and eight steal – set the home team 101-97 with another 12.6 seconds. Dubs star Steph Curry (match highlight 32 points) nailed a triple point a few seconds later to reduce the deficit to a single point. The Spurs hit two free throws, and the Dubs put the ball off the court 103-100 with 8.7 seconds left.
Everyone knew where the Warriors were wanted to get the ball, but the incoming went rather to Green, a 18.9% three-point shooter this season. Green expected a San Antonio offense, a common tactic in a three-point game to prevent the losing team from tying things up with one basket. However, the Spurs had (wisely) no interest in hitting Green when they could risk their chances with him to hit a jumper with the same success rate as the Washington Nationals’ throw, Max Scherzer, a hit during a national league game. to record match.
The result: a nothing-but-behind-the-line push of almost halfway.
In the end, it’s a funny, unfortunate play, and not the reason the Warriors lost. Green was mostly excellent. As coach Steve Kerr noted, Golden State’s twenty turnover was a bigger issue. In addition, Kerr told reporters: “The Spurs usually do not make mistakes in such situations. Probably my fault because I did not notify the team.”
So there you go. Green will have to live out this one, and will almost certainly get a deserving rib from teammates. But it does not sound like anyone in the organization is too upset – and neither should it.