It feels like we’ve heard this story before. Late in a loss to the Sacramento Kings, Warriors’ forwards Draymond Green and Kevin Durant were caught having a heated exchange during a timeout.
As usual, the video was shared widely across social media and people used it to claim that the Warriors had a chemistry issue. But the players involved in the argument don’t seem to think so. In fact, Durant was appreciative of Green pushing his buttons.
“The Draymond thing — I didn’t even know that was a big deal until he came into the locker room and told me about it today,” Durant answered. “I didn’t have any energy as far as pressuring the ball, boxing out, getting out in transition. He (saw) that. And as a teammate, you can just let me be in the clouds or you can bring me back down, and I think he did a good job.
“We went back and forth there and that kind of got me going. I had three or four blocks in the fourth quarter. I didn’t score well but I think defensively I was there for the team and made plays on the offensive end … he (saw) me kind of drifting the other way and whatever that was we had, it helped. And it felt like it was planned (laughter) … sometimes you need that. It’s a long season … it was good for me.”
Durant is right. In an 82-game season, it’s difficult to remain focused and play at 100 percent every minute. But it’s equally important to build good habits during the regular season so that it’s natural in the playoffs.
Green may have had that in mind, considering he told reporters that the “altercation” was a thought-out plan:
“It was actually a tactic. But that’s for us to know and everyone else to figure out.”
Green has often been talked about as the heart and soul of the Warriors and that rings more true here than ever before. While Draymond is great on the court, he’s just as good at pushing the right buttons to get the most out of his teammates like he did to Kevin Durant. At the moment, it may seem divisive but it’s serving to make the Warriors better. That’s a scary thought.
