GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS MEDIA CONFERENCE

April 15, 2025

Draymond Green

Media Conference

Golden State Warriors 121, Memphis Grizzlies 116.

Q. Getting to this point, you've been talking about get to the playoffs, get in the playoffs. This was a play-in game but is there a sense of relief, and we heard so much about Steph wanting to play meaningful games. What's the sense that this team now is in the playoffs?

DRAYMOND GREEN: I wouldn't necessarily say a sense of relief. Our goal is to get to the playoffs so we can make something special happen. It's not necessarily just to get there and the job's done.

We know what it takes to win at a high level. So that's the focus. But yeah, the goal is to get to the playoffs and win. So it's good to be here.

Q. What's the immediate mindset shift going to Houston? What will it take after your previous loss against the Rockets?

DRAYMOND GREEN: We've just got to take care of the ball. We take care of the ball, allows us to get our defense set and play in the halfcourt. But it starts with our offense got to help our defense.

Q. You've seen what he's done in the past. I just asked Gary about it. What does nickname "Playoff Jimmy" mean to you?

DRAYMOND GREEN: He different, that guy. He's different. You can just see a whole different intensity level and focus, and you know, we've -- I'm a basketball fan, you know, so I've watched it on TV for years.

To see it up close and personal, like it's a real thing. You know, sometimes you get in the NBA and like these guys get these nicknames and you're like, man, stop it. Like, there's some other nicknames out there. They not real.

That one's real. And I'm happy he on our side.

Q. Last game you said that everybody needed to step up, which obviously they did, and you've been completely vocal and people obviously look to you for leadership. So did you have any type of talks with anybody on the team to say, like, how important this game was?

DRAYMOND GREEN: You have a couple side-bar conversations with guys that you see fit with. I think it's more so part confidence more than anything. You know, we have an interesting balance. We have a lot of experience, and then kind of none at all.

I think most importantly is reassuring our young guys that it's the same game. The moment gets bigger; the game don't change. A lot of them has never been in this position before.

So just really make sure you're re-instilling that confidence in them.

Q. How do you balance rest and recovery over the next four days with preparing for Houston?

DRAYMOND GREEN: You know, we're a pretty veteran team. You kind of know what it takes to get your body ready to go. The positive is, you know, you don't have your body ready to go till Sunday, and I trust that everybody will know what it is that they need and be professionals and get it done.

Q. You just said you're a fan. Is this team, are you guys a team that people like to watch? Is this, like, America's team? It seems like you put on a show, you know.

DRAYMOND GREEN: Steph Curry play here. It's the greatest show on hardwood over the last ten years.

So yeah, I think so. I know I like watching Steph play. I'm kind of a basketball purist. So I know the rest of the world got to really appreciate it.

Yeah, I think there's no surprise Steph Curry has been the best show in basketball for the last ten years. That has not slowed down a bit at all.

I think the numbers will probably back that up. I don't necessarily know what the numbers are, but I'm pretty sure the numbers probably back it up.

Q. Granted, but he's not just a one-man show. There's more to it. There's and you Jimmy now.

DRAYMOND GREEN: Jimmy, Playoff Jimmy, we spoke about him.

But we also have a coach that make the game beautiful. You know, the system that he's implemented here over the last ten years, was unlike one we had ever seen before in this league. It was kind of a mixture of some greats that he played for, watched for years, and then his own twist, and so I think it's definitely not just one person.

But we're not going to fool ourselves and act like it's the same without that one person, either. It's the driving force for sure.

Q. When you guys talk about Playoff Jimmy, people think about offense a lot but did you see an extra level of intensity on defense?

DRAYMOND GREEN: Seen it the last few nights where he's turned it up completely on both sides of the ball. I'm going to give him some crap about missing six free throws but he's just -- I don't know, man.

I think what's great is that everyone else is adjusting to it. Because he's way more aggressive to score. He had not yelled at anybody since he been here. He's like yelling at guys now. Like it's a totally different person.

But I think the way guys are adjusting to it is beautiful. So we got to make sure we keep doing that. But it's a completely different person.

Q. You said last Sunday that the team needed to play with more grit. Would tonight's play be your definition of that?

DRAYMOND GREEN: We got loose balls tonight. Still a few we can come up with. But we're going to nitpick, definitely going to nitpick. There's still a few that we could come up with but have to get loose balls in these games. They just change the momentum. Changes the game.

So I think we did play with more physicality tonight. It showed quite a bit. They had 20 turnovers. You don't cause 20 turnovers with no physicality.

Q. Down the stretch, it did get a little tight, and you needed some scoring and you had fouled out. And Steph scored the final ten points. Not a shocking thing. You've seen it before. But was that special to see one more time?

DRAYMOND GREEN: It was even more special for me to see because when I shot that three in the corner, he very nicely told me that it wasn't time for me to shoot.

He came over to me and said, "Hey, man, we got to get into a certain action that we call when we like to run."

I was like, "No problem." I was like, that's a very nice way of telling me don't shoot right now. No problem. I got him the ball the next play; hit the three. Jimmy got him the ball the following play and hit the three, or vice versa. It was one way or the other. Maybe Jimmy and then me, but whatever.

But it was great.

But I want to mention something that I saw today that no one will give a sh-t about. Sorry.

Trayce Jackson-Davis did something on the bench today. He didn't play in the game. There was no seats left on the bench.

Quinten Post said, "Trayce, can I get that seat?"

And Trayce just got up. And a part of me was baffled that he got up for the rookie. Because the rookie up there, there's no seat, you sit on the floor. He just got up and gave him the seat.

And I walked over to him and I said, "That's one of the most selfless things I've ever seen a teammate do."

Because 99 percent of the time, you're going to be like, "You can go sit on the floor, Rook, or go find a seat somewhere else." But he knew he wasn't part of the rotation. And yet the rookie was.

They are playing the same position. And he got up and he went -- he literally got up and went and stood in the tunnel because there were no seats.

So I just wanted to put that out there because that, to me, like, that's why you win games. It's chemistry; it's selflessness; it's togetherness, and I just thought that was a huge moment. And nobody else saw it except us three.

So I wanted to share that because I thought that was really big moment for our bench that, you know, you could make him sit on the floor and nothing happens, or you can get up and boost confidence in him and he go back out there and hit a three. And I thought that was special.

Q. For you guys to get a five-second violation like that, what can that do? Five seconds left, they can't even get the ball in-bounds. You were not on the floor, but gives guys confidence, Hey, we can pull off any kind of stop?

DRAYMOND GREEN: Yeah, I thought that was a huge play. Guys, right there, you don't want to get detached from guys and allow them to tee up a three in that situation. So you've got to stay attached, and I thought everybody did a great job taking their guy away.

Was a little shocked that Santi was taking the ball up. But we'll take it. It's good for us.

Q. What's Jimmy been yelling about?

DRAYMOND GREEN: Everything. Guys take a bad shot. Guys don't get loose balls. You know, he go a couple possessions without touching the ball, he's going crazy right now. Like, "I have to get the ball! I have to touch the ball!"

So it's been interesting to watch the shift, as someone who has been in a million playoff series, it's been interesting to watch this year and I'm enjoying it.

Q. You seemed to know that they were going to put Edey on him to start the game.

DRAYMOND GREEN: Teams been trying stuff like that and they always try funky things against us. And so it was, kind of expect it because they always do stuff like that when they play against us.

I didn't think they put Jaren on him because they would be worrying about Jaren getting on foul trouble. But I knew they wanted to put size on him. You can't put Ja on him. You can't put Bane on him. You can't put Scotty on him.

I mean, we thought, you know, there was -- I didn't think they would make a substitution to match somebody with Jimmy, so the obvious person left is Zach.

And Jimmy played well.

Q. You kind of hinted at it in your last answer, about him turning up the scoring aggression. Had you been wanting him to do it more? Was any part of you like, where is it? Where is it?

DRAYMOND GREEN: I definitely have been wanting him to do it more but I wasn't worried at all or going to press for it. Because I'm in year 13, Jimmy is in year 14; he has a way about him.

You learn not to mess with guys' process. I think we all have our process. I have my process. And you just learn, like, not to mess with a guy's process. Like, he goes about things a certain way. That's the beauty of this place. Nobody is going to be like, yo, you need to do more of this. No, that's what you do, that's what you do. It's on us to figure everything else out.

No, I don't think, only Buddy said something but it's Buddy. Buddy don't know to better. All of us are like, he'll be more aggressive when it time to be aggressive. I think that's two games in a row he shot 20 shots, right? That's impressive.

Q. What did you see from Ja Morant, especially after he came back in the fourth quarter after he kind of hurt himself. Any difference for you?

DRAYMOND GREEN: The dog that always is Ja. I think he may struggle to play in the game Friday. He came back tonight off straight adrenaline.

But that's who he is. That's why this franchise has been in the position that they have been in over the last few years and you're kind of like, man, they may make a run.

Because Ja is special. He's one of the more special players in this league, and has the heart of a lion. So I wasn't surprised at all. That's who he's been. That's who he going to be. His saying; I'm going to run up the chimney, and he live by that. You know, I respect it because he never not run up the chimney.

Q. Steve said tomorrow is one of his favorite days of the year in terms of he and the coaches get together and scout for a series. What is your preparation process like mentally, physically, scouting ahead of a series?

DRAYMOND GREEN: Tomorrow I'll get away from it for me. Which is why I'll tell you I don't want to coach.

But I was just telling the guys downstairs, the only thing I was thinking about earlier today was just I want the opportunity to go through that first film session that we go through, just our every series. It's like no other. And I've been looking forward to that. It's just a different level of preparation that you just -- it's impossible to get in the NBA. There's just way too many games.

But you get to the playoff series, and the level of preparation is so different. So I'm looking forward to not tomorrow but the following day. He can have tomorrow. But that preparation, getting ready for a team that you know you got to see possibly seven times in a row, is so fun. It's like no other.

Q. Kuminga had some good games against Houston. He had two DNPs in the last two. How much do you expect him to possibly contribute?

DRAYMOND GREEN: He'll contribute. He's great. He's getting his work in. That's all you can do in that situation is get your work in.

And he'll be meaningful for us in that series. I have zero doubt about that. I think the challenge for him is to stay mentally engaged, as it is for anyone in that situation. But I have zero doubt in my mind that he's going to help us in this series. He will, 1,000 percent.