OAKLAND — When the Warriors turned the regular season into a six-month long party, Draymond Green was right alongside MVP Stephen Curry as the leader of this historic team. When the Warriors were on the verge of a disappointing defeat in the Western Conference Finals just last week, Green was one of the primary culprits responsible for the uncharacteristically ugly basketball on display. But the man who Steve Kerr once called the heartbeat of the Warriors helped Golden State mount a comeback for the ages against the Thunder and now has the defending champs two wins away from going back to back and putting the expected exclamation point on the 73-win season.
Curry and fellow Splash Brother Klay Thompson rebounded from a relative no-show in Game 1, but still only combined for 35 points. The reason the Warriors blew the Cavs out of Oracle on Sunday is Green, and not just his 28 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. When the Warriors didn’t look like the Warriors, it was because their normally inspired defensive efforts were nowhere to be found. But in Game 2, Golden State made Cleveland work hard for every shot attempt. Green was the shining example of a team-wide dedication to stepping up on the defensive end. The result: 77 Cavs points, the lowest total from a Warriors playoff opponent since the Chicago Bulls scored 72 on May 11, 1975.
When asked to explain how the Warriors have topped the Cavs by a combined 82 points in the first two games of the NBA Finals, Draymond made it clear it all starts with defense.
“The intensity level has been there, and most importantly we’ve gotten it done on the defensive side of the basketball,” Green said. “To hold this team to 77 points … that’s a very good ballclub; that’s not something that’s easy to do.”
Green and his teammates may make it look easy, but take his word for it. The Warriors also make three-point shooting look easy, thanks to the prolific shooting strokes of Curry and Thompson. On Sunday, the Splash Brothers took a back seat to Green, who sunk a game-high five triples on eight attempts. Cleveland made five of 23 from distance as a team in Game 2.
A reporter told Draymond he looked like Curry with his three-point shooting display, but the Saginaw, Michigan native quickly shot down the comparison.
“Don’t tell me that; Steve Kerr wouldn’t like you if you tell me I’m channeling my inner Steph Curry,” said Green, whose hot hand helped the Warriors outscore the Cavs 25-16 over the final 8:42 of the third quarter with Curry out of the game due to foul trouble. “When Steph’s on the bench, it really turns into a complete team effort because Steph can do so much by himself to create offense for guys. When he goes out, we really use each other.”
That’s a stark contrast from Cleveland’s recipe for success. It’s no secret the Cavs needs an otherworldly performance from LeBron James to have a shot in this series. They didn’t get one on Sunday. Instead, LeBron saw his streak of 25 consecutive playoff games with 20 or more points come to an end. The Warriors, fueled by Green’s energy and Andre Iguodala’s lock-down defense, forced LeBron into seven turnovers.
“I had half the turnovers when I came out and it resulted in them getting some easy baskets,” James said.
For all the spectacular shots that define this Warriors team, defense leading to easy baskets is the foundation everything else is built on.
Back-to-back MVP Curry knows this more than anyone. When asked who he’d label as the MVP of the Warriors right now, Steph gave a response straight out of the ‘Strength in Numbers’ media relations playbook. But he meant it.
“You could pick from a lot of guys,” Curry said. “Draymond, what he did tonight; Shaun [Livingston], what he did in Game 1; Andre with his defense on LeBron; Klay making timely shots. We’re doing it by committee and everybody’s playing their role. The crazy thing is we can all play better. So we’ve got to continue to play the defense that we’re doing and individuals will shine along the way. That’s what we’re about.”
As long as their heartbeat doesn’t fail them, the Warriors will be in great shape as the series shifts to Cleveland. If Green and Iguodala can continue to anchor the defense while the Splash Brothers return to form, the Cavs won’t be coming back to Oakland until next season.