Draymond Green takes the blame after the Saturday night loss. It was the sixth straight loss against the Hawks in Atlanta. While it’s a disturbing stat, tonight’s loss hurt the Warriors a lot, considering the playoffs situation. Especially with Stephen Curry out of action on the first game of the 5-game road trip, the team put up a poor display of defensive side despite their high ratings in recent times. Green lamented over the grueling mistake while Steve Kerr issued a locker room message.
“We were terrible, defensively. It’s NBA,” said the former DPOY disappointedly after the 115-124 loss. He didn’t stop at that. The veteran went on to reveal the reason behind the team’s poor defense. Trae Young & Co. stepped on the court with purpose, and they displayed it right from the tip-off. While the Dubs were adamant about dropping their buckets, they completely let their defense loose.
In response, the Hawks took a massive 17-point lead at the end of the first quarter. Green, speaking of it, said, “We came out like we were just going to win the game, and we got diced up defensively in the first quarter.” Most importantly, it wasn’t an easy game after that, as the 35-year-old said, “From that point on you’re fighting an uphill battle.” The Dubs were all over the place, leaving a lot of floor space for the Hawks offense to do their business.
Cashing in on the defense brain fade, Georges Niang hurt the Dubs, sinking 6 three-pointers off the bench. The visitors did let the Hawks get into their groove, as Green painfully said, “They got into a rhythm. Had it rolling. It’s tough to stop.” Now, it’s the time of redemption. Draymond Green, after listing the mistakes, moved on to the betterment aspect. He said, “We got to be better. That starts with me… We got to come out ready to play.” Well, it wasn’t just him. Even Coach Steve Kerr dropped in a valuable message to the team.
Amid Draymond Green & C0.’s defensive setback, Kerr issued a stern message
A few days ago, Draymond Green was hailed for his defensive masterclass. Taking on the Bucks, the 4x NBA Champ put in all his learnings into action to stop the Wisconsin side. Moreover, before coming into the Hawks game, Green had recorded 24 points, 17 rebounds, 9 assists, 6 steals, and 4 blocks in his previous two games. Well, that has been the Warriors’ story since the Jimmy Butler trade.
Nov 28, 2023; Sacramento, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) talks with head coach Steve Kerr during the fourth quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports
Speaking of it, Steve Kerr said, “We were the second-ranked defense in the league coming into tonight since we traded for Jimmy… but didn’t happen tonight.” In the same breath, the champion coach addressed how the team would react to the loss. He added, “So the biggest thing is, we got to respond bounce back… You got to respond, especially where we are, you know, in the playoff picture and with everybody right there in the West. So we got to we got to bounce back.”
Moreover, he didn’t want the team to win it just for the playoff picture, and added another layer to it, saying, “We got a big game in Miami. It’ll be a great atmosphere.” Well, we know what he’s hinting at. It will be Butler’s first game against the Heat since the trade. So, there’s something to look forward to. Above all, the team will also face Andrew Wiggins for the first time. Who will have the last laugh? Let us know in the comments.
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