At ninth place in the West, the Warriors are in a crowded fight to qualify for a play-in game, but Draymond Green doesn’t take any motivation from trying to reach that pre-playoff contest, writes Nick Friedell of ESPN. After winning three titles and playing in five straight NBA Finals, it’s hard for Green to get excited about such a modest goal.
“To be honest with you, I don’t go into these games thinking like, ‘Man, we need to win these games to get to the playoffs,'” Green said after Thursday’s loss at Miami. “I hate losing, so when I step on the floor I want to win. But I’ll be 100% honest with you, fighting for a play-in spot does not motivate me. We’re in what, (ninth)? Fighting for a (play-in) spot doesn’t motivate me at all.”
The change in the playoff system was introduced as part of last year’s restart in Orlando. A play-in game was instituted between the eighth and ninth seeds if they were close in the standings. This year, the system has been expanded to include teams seven through 10 in each conference.
“I want to win,” Green explained. “That’s enough motivation for me, but I’m not going to spend every day like, ‘Man, we’re right on the cusp of that play-in’ — I don’t give a damn about that play-in game. If that’s where we are and we’re in the game, yeah, I’m going to do all I can to win the game. But, the play-in situation isn’t going to get me out of my bed like I got to bust my ass today because we’re fighting for the play-in spot. That ain’t going to push me.”
There’s more on the Warriors:
- Stephen Curry won’t play tonight against the Raptors, tweets Anthony Slater of the Athletic. Curry had been considering playing back-to-back games for the first time since suffering a tailbone bruise March 17, according to Friedell. Curry scored 36 points in 36 minutes Thursday in his second game since returning. “I gotta see how I feel when I wake up,” he said Thursday. “This is an injury where Monday to Tuesday it was a tough day-after-game feeling. I’m hopefully progressing where I wake up and feel good and know what I’m dealing with and be able to play, but we’ll monitor that.”
- Green may not be excited about the play-in game, but assistant coach Mike Brown believes any postseason experience will be valuable, according to Drew Shiller of NBC Sports Bay Area. “It would be huge. The playoff atmosphere — not only in your preparation but the actual games — it’s at a whole other level,” Brown said in a radio interview. “For our guys to get a feel of it, a taste of it, would only benefit them for many years to come.”
- Heat coach Erik Spoelstra believes the Warriors miss Andre Iguodala as much as Klay Thompson, writes Marcus White of NBC Sports Bay Area. Iguodala was an all-around contributor during Golden State’s best seasons, and now he’s playing that same role in Miami.
Iggy is no longer even close to being the player he was 5 years ago, Spoelstra is nuts if he thinks the Warriors miss him as much as Klay. Of course they aren’t nearly as good now as they were with their Death Lineup. Steph, Klay, Wiggins, Draymond, and Wiseman will be more of a crippled lineup than death.
Why did they get rid of Iggy again? I did think he was the unsung player on that team.
They had to to get anything back for losing Durant b/c of the hardcap
Wally
You don’t worry about Warriors
You should worry about the result of trade superstars
Trade Chris Paul and Harden for Big O, Bradley, Exum, John Wall and 2 Bucks First round picks (net together)
Not to mention Rockets own picks are more valuable
Big O is Kelly Olynyk
The Point God hasn’t been a superstar for a long time. John Wall will be around far longer than his soon-to-be 36 yo predecessor.
GSW misses both Klay and Iggy (and S-Dot).
Never forget, Lacob refused to pay Jerry West $1M more and replaced him with his sons, who in turn replaced Iggy, Livingston and Klay with Bazemore, Wanamaker and Oubre. Dumbest move ever. If they replaced those 3 with 3 high IQ guys, GSW would be top 4 right now, easily.
Klay is still with the team. Livingston retired. The Iggy move had to do with finances. The guy they miss the most is Larry Riley. He built the team.
Iggy was/is washed, they did exceptional getting what they did for him at the time while saving a gazillion dollars as well
Im more puzzled why Mia or anybody wanted him to the extent they did
GSW did a great job puffin the media up on him tho…they lead the league in this category No doubt … Nice feather in the cap to hold
There had to have been 1,000 articles on Why the Lakers needed Iggy at the beginning of last year to win it all …Im sure other fanbases bit the apple too. All for a guy you hope can tread water for 15 mins a game while your real players get a blow
Iggy’s IQ still elite though, despite him clearly missing a step right now. He’s wildly valuable to have on the bench, any team really could use him.
Klay hasn’t even been that good in the regular season the last 3 years he was healthy…
Andre Iguodala is missed by GS. Defensively, they havent replaced him, nor have they replaced his secondary playmaking
He has been extremely important here in Miami. No way would they have gotten to the finals without him, and he has been even more extremely important this year, as essentially the only defender on the wing besides Butler, and an important rebounder, and playmaking piece for shooters, as well as even playing small ball 5. If anything, their biggest need is more of Andre Iguodala/someone else like him
Totally agree they need the “someone like him” part
I just think the sun has set on Iggy himself
No disrespect on Iggy, he’s had an outstanding career; this was more of a hat tip to GSW’s marketing team/FO for being able to sell him as a main event when clearly hes nothing more than an undercard these days. The narrative in Laker land right before Covid was “we get this guy we win the whole thing/we don’t we lose”. Thought it was crazy back then considering salary/current play/ and he was away from the court that half year prior to get anything more than expiring contracts and maybe 2 2nds
I think if anything he woulda benefitted a young and dumb team like ATL/Pelicans last year more than teams like LAL/MIA/GSW but the value is minimal in all aspects still imo today
Well, I couldn’t disagree more. Not sure about the Lakers situation. They didnt need help on the wing last year, from what I remember
So Green is not motivated because he doesn’t care about the regular season? Or because he doesn’t consider 9th place to be “playoff-worthy”. I’m not following.
It appears he’s trying to take some of the heat (no pun intended) off Kerr saying “we arent chasing wins here”. Funny, as he is most likely a better coach of GSW than Kerr currently is.
Lets not forget Kerr wanted to take his ball and go home last year and Not give us the Bubble
Seems there’s a “If we arent relevant, nothing matters in the league” attitude in GSW ….. Curry the great withstanding
Also Greens IQ rapidly diminishes after the final buzzer sounds
Much rather see a hungry team Like Sac make it than an ungrateful one in GSW for that final spot
How is Sac a hungry team? They are a team in disarray. Players would rather leave then stay.
Sac has won 7 of their last 9 and I’m not sure anyone other than Bagley wants to leave
Vince – Imo they have more talent than GSW MEM SAS for 2021 –
Lately they have trimmed the rotation to just 7 or 8 guys and its really showing
Put Pop at the reins of this team we might be seeing a PHx Suns type showing –
Looking forward I think they have a pretty stable position to build off If FO doesn’t screw it up. I think its time for a coaching change as well if It was up to me
Please explain to me why Greg Popovic would want to leave the Spurs? Why would he want to go to a team that has less talent than he has now.
Hypothetically speaking
So, Hypothetically, why would Popovic want to leave the Spurs?
It has to do with the draft pick. They lose their 1st rounder if they make the playoffs. The team is not strong enough to compete in the playoffs against bigger and healthier teams. Kerr already did some tanking this year. For GSW making the playoffs its not a big deal unless you win it all.
Wrong as usual Arc. They can make the playoffs and keep the pick. Hoop Rumors has a reverse order standings tracker that simplifies things for people needing simplification.
Yes, top 20 protected.
Claude why such a hater? You are not even a warrior fan so why do you come here on a post about the warriors? Can you explain?
You believe that you’re a good fan because you whine a lot. You make stuff up. You say things that are based on weak assumptions and not facts. For example, you believe Kerr intentionally tanked. That’s a complete opinion that you have upgraded to your fact. You said they didn’t want to be in playoffs. Why, because you state they’ll lose their pick. Another completely useless comment that only serves your perpetual negativity but shows a complete lack of knowledge. 16 teams make the playoffs. If the Warriors end up with the 11th best record or worse, they can get in the playoffs yet could keep the pick.
I promise to never again respond to a post from you. You can keep bluffing away and whine at the next responder that calls your bluffs.
Lastly, not only do you lack knowledge, you lack perception. I began following the Warriors in the sixties. Nate Thurmond was my idol. Class combined with bada** defense. Clyde Lee, Jeff Mullin, Jim Barnett, even Jerry Lucas. I could tell you the roster of the75 Champs. I yelled hallelujah when the Monte Ellis trade happened. cuz I knew this ownership and management “got it”. I’d bet that you Arc were ticked off with that trade. So obviously I’m a Warriors fan. And likely a better one than you. I don’t drink the Kool aid all the other posters who babble cluelessly as you do drink. There are some posters I like to chat with. Gary for one off the top of my head. We sometimes disagree. I just don’t get why people like yourself choose to ONLY be negative. That doesn’t make you a Warriors fan.
Oh please you are as fake as it comes. The warriors are tanking or did you even watch the game tonight? Kerr and upper management is in a fight about playing younger players. They didn’t go after any players at the trade deadline and have 2 open roster spaces that they said would be used but has done nothing.
I go back to the Clifford Ray days when he was the best player on the warriors. I was glad Monte Ellis was traded he couldn’t play defense. Curry showed all the promise.
So I am being negative about them tanking? Nope just reality that they know they can’t beat the big boys with all the injuries and lack of bench. Why not go for a better draft pick.
you are as fake as it is. I went back over a dozen post about the warriors never even saw your name. So is this a burner account like KD? I am pretty sure I know which troll you are. What is the next excuse you can come up with why you have not posted in over a month but just to troll today?
Clifford Ray and others were acquired for Thurmond. He wasn’t their best player. Rick Barry ring a bell? Hall of Famer Rick Barry? Dude, you have no clue. Clifford Ray best player?
@Claude Raymond To the guys like Marty, does the Joe Barry Carrol trade ring a bell. If the Warriors didn’t make that trade, they would have had one of the best front courts. King/Short at the Shooting Guard. An unstoppable team.
Vince if they kept Robert Parrish they would have had a playoff team through the 80s.
@arc89 They also drafted Larry Smith that same year.
@Vince why am I living rent free in your head? GSW with Parrish and McHale doesn’t move the needle. I dont care about 80s basketball anyway, watching those games is like watching any 40+ year olds play a pickup game today. Slow paced, poor skills, lots of violence for no reason. No thanks. Not my game.
Claude remember a while back I said GSW should get Aaron Gordon. Denver got him and he’s doing great, albeit not asked to play the 5 there. Denver starts him and beat ATL, PHL &LAC. I think LAC had all their guys. If Gordon pairs well with MPJ it’s like they boosted 1.5 positions.there
If GSW has a sweet spot at #11-#16 I bet they hit it.
You forgot to mention at the time of the trade Nate was at the end of his career while Clifford Ray help win the championship. Rick Barry was their best scorer on the team. Once Rick Barry left it was a decade of bad trades or did you forget the worse trade GSW ever made in The Robert Parrish trade?
@arc Warriors management is not in a fight about playing the younger players. They are going to have to play them sooner or later. Do you get this from one of Marty’s podcasts?
This came from within the warriors management. Not Marty. AS soon as it came out there was some strange rotations being used by Kerr. Almost like they will get what they asked for. Last nights game was embarrassing.
Monte Poole disagrees with you.
Monte Poole has been wrong many times. He would never say anything negative about GSW since he works for them.
@arc You are wrong. The Warriors can make the playoffs and not lose their 1st rounder. They currently have the 13th pick.
Clearly Draymond means they’re shooting for a higher seed, and if they’re in that play in game situation, he’s going to play just as hard as ever, but it’s not like that situation lives in their mind as something that they’re focusing on. They’re focused on getting better and playing hard and what happens happens. If they miss the play in, it’s not the end of the world. Obviously they want to make the playoffs, but that isnt the limit of their motivation, and for a team like them, that motivation is beyond that
Man Steph at the end of that game last night was insane. 16 of those 36 points were in that 4th quarter, but like 10 or 12 of those had to have been in those last couple of minutes. Scary moment in 1 of those last possessions, where Bam thankfully ended up guarding him, and forcing the air ball
What’s going on with the Warriors tonight? Down 108-56 after three quarters they must be playing Utah, Philly, or Brooklyn. No? They’re playing the 18-30 Raptors who have lost 13 of their last 14 games, including a 117-99 loss to Houston. Yuck.
No Curry, no Draymond = no leadership, no high IQ players.
I dunno about who misses what.. but watching the Warriors play the Heat last night… there’s something not right there. The Warriors body language absolutely sucked throughout the game… as if they hated they even had to be there. Maybe I’m reading too much into it.. but something def is up in that franchise.
They looked even worse tonight losing by 53 after trailing 121-60.
Luckily I can go back to watching choker Harden miss 27 straight 3’s to them anytime I like. You can too, “Houston Player fan screen name” LOL
Rofl dont know what that’s supposed to mean, but they always have competitive games against the Heat, who have won like 4 of 5 against them. They’re similar teams too. Both teams play hard. Maybe what you thought you saw was the competitiveness? Or maybe it was someone like Wiggins or Wiseman, who always have body language as you described
There’s a HUGE difference between eff it and competitive man lol. For example.. The Heat went on a 4th quarter run with Curry on the bench. The cameras caught Curry doing a very loud and sarcastic clap… as if he was mocking his own teammates for getting blown away. That’s not competitive man lol. I may be reading too much into it… but the fact that Curry and Green sat the next night and they lost by 60…. something ain’t right in Oakland.
Curry literally always claps like that. Like a let’s goo clap. Curry sat b/c of his tailbone injury. Draymond sat b/c of workload, I would assume, plus the fact Curry was sitting, so they used their younger guys…Toronto has a good matchup against them even when they’re fully healthy. Might as well make sure your own guys are 100% considering their importance
FIRE. STEVE. KERR. NOW. AND. REPLACE. HIM. WITH. DRAYMOND. GREEN.
Warriors, like all they did was lose last yr. So Greens high IQ tells us he don’t care about a play in game. I guess his HIGH IQ is Off the charts. Right Marty
The Alien from Uranus knows this team so well
That losing wasn’t enough. So they lost by 53 ….
Ha ha ha ha ha ha Gagahahagaha ha ha ha
Fifty Three points …… I guess they missed Stephs
29 points tonight. Then it would have only been
Twenty Four points ……… Marty you are riding your Curry Doll too hard lol …… aHa Ha Ha ha ha ha
The horrible East just spanked the Warriors like they were all Marty figurines. Time to come out the house and take a breath. Warriors are the East appetizer
The Raptors just ate the Warriors like they were in Jurassic park. Yeah let’s give Curry 45 mill so we only lose by 24 … that’s what a smart franchise does.
A Knicks fan criticizing not just any other franchise, but the franchise that had one of the most successful Finals runs, is quite amusing.
espn on GSW breaking an alltime record:
“The Raptors outscored the Warriors by 51 points in the second and third quarters, the largest point differential over a two-quarter span within a game in NBA history, according to Elias Sports Bureau research. “
So you posted it to rub it in GSW fan faces?
@x%sure do you have have an actual point. 0l
No, a fun fact mostly. I was going to point out Curry did not play but then I remembered how aggravating Marty is.