Draymond Green didn’t exactly want to sit the final 11 minutes of the Warriors’ season-ending Game 6 loss against the Lakers.
After the star forward exited with a calf cramp and was evaluated, he felt the calf loosen up and wanted to return.
But president of basketball operations and general manager Bob Myers told Green that he shouldn’t re-enter the game.
“I would’ve gone back in the game,” Green told reporters in his press conference following the Warriors’ 122-101 loss Friday night. “[Myers] stopped me. He said, ‘We’re down 22 points with six minutes to go. You go back out there and you tear your calf and do rehab the rest of the summer trying to chase a 22-point lead. It’s not smart, and we’re not doing it.’
“I could’ve went back in the game, and I think that’s a good sign.”
Green, who could opt out of his contract in the offseason, also reiterated in his postgame press conference that he wants to be with the Warriors “for the rest of my life,” and he’d prefer to “ride out with the same dudes I rode in with.”
Draymond Green gets subbed out during the fourth quarter of the Warriors’ Game 6 loss.Getty Images
Bob Myers, pictured in 2022, told Draymond Green that he shouldn’t return to Game 6.Getty Images
But at that point in the fourth quarter, when Green exited, the Lakers were already in control and the Warriors’ season was spiraling toward its earlier-than-anticipated finish line.
He left the court with 10:40 remaining — with the Warriors trailing, 91-80 — and was replaced by Kevon Looney, while Golden State eventually listed Green as doubtful to return with right calf tightness.
Los Angeles then manufactured an 11-0 run, with LeBron James scoring five of those points, and the Lakers extended their lead closer to what emerged as the final score in Game 6.
It’s the first time the Warriors haven’t advanced to the NBA Finals while in the postseason since 2013-14, with four titles and two championship losses in the last nine years of their franchise’s run behind Green, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and head coach Steve Kerr.
That last series loss came under Mark Jackson, with Kerr becoming the team’s head coach in 2014-15.
Draymond Green scored nine points in the Warriors’ Game 6 loss.Getty Images
Green scored nine points and grabbed nine rebounds in 24:01 on Friday, and in 12 playoff games this year, he averaged 9.4 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.
He missed Game 3 of the Warriors’ series against the Kings after he stomped on Sacramento forward Domantas Sabonis, which was followed by a one-game suspension that made the Warriors “livid,” according to ESPN.
News
Kim Kardashian credits North West, 10, for taking her sultry vacation pictures in Turks and Caicos
Kim Kardashian revealed her daughter North West, 10, was responsible for snapping her latest travel pictures from their tropical getaway to Turks and Caicos last week. While sharing a slew of envy-inducing…
EXCLUSIVE: Hunky Italian model says he’s been fired from working as greeter at Met Gala after his good looks upstaged Kylie Jenner during last year’s ceremony
An Italian model has revealed he’s been fired from working at this year’s Met Gala because his rugged good looks upstaged stars including Kylie Jenner. Eugenio Casnighi, 26, who…
‘Greedy’ Meghan Markle is ‘being laughed out of Hollywood’ by A-listers: source
Meghan Markle might be one of the most famous women on the planet — but Hollywood power players are purportedly less than impressed with her showbiz prowess….
Rihanna And ASAP Rocky: A Timeline Of Their Relationship
In 2020, it was reported that Rihanna and ASAP (or A$AP) Rocky had turned their friendship up a notch, elevating them to couple status. Following in the…
King Charles and Princess Kate’s Very Different Reactions to Cancer News
The royal family’s current health battles have “forced them to really think about what matters,” with King Charles III and Princess Kate channeling their focuses in two very different directions, Newsweek‘s chief…
A$AP Rocky Beats Rihanna While Trying To Protect His Side Chick From RiRi…
In a recent turn of events, A$AP Rocky finds himself making headlines not for his music but for his unexpected clash with Rihanna. The rapper, known for…
End of content
No more pages to load
Relative Articles
None found