Draymond Green Can’t Be Denied Superstar Status
Draymond Green hasn’t gotten the respect he deserves, but his performance recently proves his superstar status.
The Golden State Warriors fell behind early on Tuesday, and the Portland Trailblazers took advantage of every opportunity they could to keep the defending champs down. This wasn’t one of those games where the Warriors were down due to a lack of effort; Damian Lillard and the rest of his team simply kept making shots.
However off they might have seemed, Golden State never seemed completely out of the game even though they trailed by 11 points entering the fourth quarter. The Warriors battled and it was obvious that Draymond Green wasn’t going to let anybody disrupt his game. Eventually, Green was able to impose his will and the tide suddenly changed for the Warriors in the final quarter.
It really doesn’t seem to matter that Stephen Curry has missed the first two games of this series. Heck, the team hasn’t even needed to be particularly sharp at any point of the game.The Warriors, led by Green’s effort, have still been nearly unstoppable when they play with a strong effort throughout the entire game.
Klay Thompson and Green were both 7-20 from the field in game two, but that clearly didn’t matter. Their shots fell when they mattered the most because they played with passion and gave a strong effort throughout four full quarters. On the other side of that coin, Lillard and the Trailblazers seemed to decide to take a nap in the fourth after putting up three incredible quarters against the Warriors.
Perhaps Terry Stotts — Portland’s coach — played Lillard for too long without giving him a rest because he looked completely drained in the fourth. However, the main catalyst for Portland’s destruction was definitely Draymond Green.
Green is a monster, and he’s the biggest reason that Golden State has a 2-0 series lead despite the absence of Curry. It’s clear that nobody in a Trailblazers uniform can match the energy and aggressive style of play that Green brings to the court.
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It’s commonly known that Green isn’t the best shooter on the floor at any moment and he takes a number of questionable shots every game. But he still provided a solid 17 point performance in game two, despite missing all five of his three point attempts. However, the Trailblazers who played against Green, to a man, would probably admit that his defense was the main thing that beat them.
Of Green’s 14 rebounds on Tuesday, 12 of them came on the defensive glass. His strong defensive performance throughout the entire game allowed for the eventual comeback by the Warriors.
According to ESPN, Green’s defense has been extraordinary in games one and two against Portland. In both games combined, the Trailblazers made just four of 20 field goals when Draymond Green was the primary defender. Green also added a little extra defensive disruption in game two by adding four blocked shots.
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It would certainly be nice if the league would hold a new vote to determine who should win the Defensive Player of the Year award. Green was absolutely robbed of the award that he deserved after an entire season of defensive effort that fans rarely witnessed. Maybe Green will be named the MVP of the Finals this year and start to get the recognition he deserves.
Draymond Green is the best defensive players in the NBA, and he will make sure the Warriors are tough with and without Curry.