Draymond Green is quite a yapper on and off the court. While most take notice of his on-court physicality, they miss out on his superb defensive shift and one aspect of his game that cannot be measured or seen with the naked eye: his leadership.
Draymond, now in his 12th NBA year, has been a mainstay on the GSW team for over a decade and does have quite an influence behind the scenes on his San Francisco turf. But now he has spoken about a leader he looks up to, Stephen Curry.
Draymond Green lavishes praise on Stephen Curry
Draymond Green showered Stephen Curry with praises yet again for putting up a fire performance against the Toronto Raptors at the Scotiabank Arena after hours of exhaustion.
While the Warriors performed on-court like their name suggests, the behind-the-scenes were difficult to keep up with. Problems began when some mechanical issues were found on the flight, which delayed their schedule. Instead of leaving on time from New York, they were running five hours late.
Playing back-to-back games could be tiring for some but that’s not an excuse for the 4-time NBA Championship winner, Curry. With head coach Steve Kerr’s motivation, Stephen Curry led the team to a triumph like a true leader.
In a postgame interview with the reporters, Draymond Green stated, “If you’re going to win, you have to be resilient”. Praising the 35-year-old, head coach Green said, “If your leaders are resilient, you have no choice. And Steph is one of the most resilient people I’ve ever seen. Steve Kerr is resilient as hell. And when have that everybody else kind of falls in line.”
Warriors defeat Raptors
The Raptors came into the Warriors game hoping to give themselves an outside chance in the play-in race. On the other hand, the Warriors are focused on a playoff spot chase, with the Lakers breathing down their necks.
The Canadian visitors stated the game strongly, with RJ Barrett leading the change and taking a 3-point lead in the first quarter. They maintained the lead in the second quarter but the deep arsenal of the Warriors came into play after that. Jonathan Kuminga and Stephen Curry turned the tide, with both finishing the game with 24 and 25 points, respectively.
Meanwhile, things went from bad to worse for the Raptors after Scottie Barnes suffered a fracture to the third metacarpal of his left hand during the first quarter and did not take the court after the halftime break.
Barnes has been a driving force for the 2019 championship winners this season with 20 PPG, 8.3 rebounds and 6.1 assists. The 22-year-old is now out indefinitely, putting a massive dent on their play-in ambitions.
The Raptors take on the Hornets on March 3 in their third straight road game. For GSW, things look much different. They host the Eastern Conference toppers, the Celtics, on Mar. 3. As their playoff quest continues, the game is sure to test the Warriors fighting spirit.
