	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: THUNDER v WARRIORS

May 20, 2016

Draymond Green

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Practice Day

Q. You guys were more active defensively than you were in Game 1. What did you see on film? What stood out?
DRAYMOND GREEN: You know, I think we really did a great job of helping each other, flying around. I think a lot of times even when things didn't go right and they got to a spot they wanted to, you had guys X-ing out and helping each other and that's the most important thing. Really, I think you had everybody making that extra effort.

Q. How do you feel that that free safety role is working out for you guys? How much adjusting have you seen?
DRAYMOND GREEN: I mean, we're making adjustments. As they make adjustments, we make adjustments. Every game is different. That's the fun part about the playoffs. There's always someone making adjustments. So I've seen them make some adjustments. I didn't play that role the whole game. We adjusted as they adjusted.

Q. What about offensively? You as a facilitator, do you think that against OKC really worked out more than other teams?
DRAYMOND GREEN: I mean, I think it's kind of the flow of the game, and the way the game was going the other day we had guys that really had it going, the ball was flying around. When the ball is flying around that's when we're at our best. So it's not like, oh, I came into the game with the mindset of being a facilitator. The ball was flying around like that and then you find other guys and everybody's in a rhythm and everybody's knocking down shots.

Q. What do you remember about experiencing watching Steph with the 37-footer at OKC?
DRAYMOND GREEN: That was great. For a moment, I told you all before, my favorite part was the afterwards, what he did afterwards. The shot was cool, but what he did afterwards.

Q. They're calling you "the Mayhem" over there because of the way you're playing defense and helping out on Durant and Westbrook. What do you think about being called "the Mayhem"?
DRAYMOND GREEN: It is what it is (laughing). Whatever, I don't know.

Q. How do you feel specifically about your floating?
DRAYMOND GREEN: I think my defense was good last game. The first game I didn't think it was very good at all. I just wasn't in places I needed to be, but last game I did a better job of reading the situation.

Q. What do you take from a guy like Andre [Iguodala], the defensive game? What kind of advice would he give you?
DRAYMOND GREEN: I mean, he's great. He's a guy I've been learning from him since he got here. He's a very smart player and very good defender. He understands the game and knows where to be, he knows where everybody else should be. So it's always great to be able to have a guy like that to learn from.

Q. How much easier is it to have a guy like this on defense?
DRAYMOND GREEN: It makes everything easier. When you're playing with a guy like that, you end up just working together, and you kind of get to a point now where you don't even have to say anything and you just know where each other's going to be. You know how to help each other out. So it's always fun to play with a guy like that.

Q. After Game 1, Steve said that the Thunder were pretty good at forcing guys into isolations. Is there anything you tried to force them to do, like isolation maybe something like that?
DRAYMOND GREEN: As far as their offense or as far as us on offense? Them isolating or us?

Q. Your isolating.
DRAYMOND GREEN: We know that's not how we want to play basketball. We know we want to move the basketball and make sure everybody's involved and make sure we're in a good rhythm. I think we did a better job of focusing on that last game as opposed to just falling into it and we got a mismatch, let's go at that mismatch.

Coach Kerr has a saying it's going to come out in the wash. Even if you don't go to it somehow, it will help the offense out, so that's kind of what we did last game.

Q. What do you feel about the mindset on the road? Do you feel like you've figured some things out in this series, or do you feel like you're still up against it?
DRAYMOND GREEN: Regardless what you figure out, you're up against it. This is a very good ballclub, so you can figure out as much as you want. Every game is a different challenge. So it doesn't really matter what you figure out. It's how you go play and the amount of effort you bring into the game and the intensity level and focus level.

It's not really about, at this point, what you know or what they know. It's going to come out and you have to make the necessary plays to win the game. Our mindset is to go win games.

Q. With that said, how much did dropping Game 1 really help you guard against complacency for the rest of the series?
DRAYMOND GREEN: I mean, it definitely helps because now you have very little room for error. When you go up 2-0, you've got a little room for error. So we don't really have that room. So there can't be any complacency, which I'm not sure you want to lose a Game 1 for that to happen. But I think that can help us a lot.

Q. Is there a such a thing as complacency in the playoffs?
DRAYMOND GREEN: There is such a thing as complacency in human nature. The average human being, there is such a thing as complacency.

Q. Steven Adams says you've peaked in your annoyingness. Can you tell when you get under their skin a little bit?
DRAYMOND GREEN: Tell him thanks for letting me know. I appreciate it.

Q. Do you think you've peaked though?
DRAYMOND GREEN: We'll see. I don't know. I'm just being me.

Q. Can you tell when you get under their skin a little bit? Can you tell when you get that edge? Can you sense that a little bit?
DRAYMOND GREEN: I honestly don't really pay attention to it. I just be me, and if that's annoying, great.

Q. So much has been made of your -- the way that you play the game, your intensity, especially in this postseason with all the news outlets and national outlets. Do you get tired of talking about your intensity at all or maybe it's misunderstood and taken as maybe you are a jerk? I don't know?
DRAYMOND GREEN: Oh, I don't really care. I don't care what one person on 29 other teams in this league think about me. It doesn't really matter. I care about what 14 other guys think about me. And if I'm doing something to bother them, then it's something that I need to address. If I'm doing something to bother the other 29 teams, then it's something they need to address, and that has nothing to do with me.

So to answer your question, no, I don't care. It doesn't bother me one bit.

Q. Do you think it's possible to get in Steven Adams' head? It doesn't seem he reacts to anything.
DRAYMOND GREEN: I'm not sure. I don't go into the game saying I need to get in Steven Adams' head. I go in the game saying I need to do whatever I need to do to help this team win, and if that bothers someone else, then they need to figure out what they need to do.

But my goal is definitely not to get in Steven Adams' head. I mean, if anybody, it's trying to get into K.D. and Westbrook's head, you know.

Q. How long did it take you and when did you realize how big of a role you could have on this team when you first arrived with the Warriors?
DRAYMOND GREEN: I have never expected my role to be this big. I've always been a confident person and believe in myself. But there are still so many things that have to work out in my favor for my role to be what it is. So it's unique. I'm thankful for it. It's a blessing.

Q. Because how is it for players when you are drafted in the second round?
DRAYMOND GREEN: I'm not sure. I think it's different for everybody, but for me it did something for me. It lit a fire under me that still isn't out. It still burns.

Q. No complacency?
DRAYMOND GREEN: I think everybody gets complacent with something at some point, but with that, I'm not.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297