How a promise kept has Steph Curry, Draymond Green facing play-in together again

PLAYA VISTA, Calif. – Steph Curry sticks to his word. Watching from afar instead of being able to compete on the court with his teammates, Curry made a vow to Draymond Green after the Warriors’ inspiring overtime win against the Houston Rockets back on March 5. “Keep going,” Curry wrote to Green. “I know it’s tough, but promise you, I’m coming back.” Another 15 games went by before Curry finally made his return from runner’s knee exactly one month later to play against the Rockets, this time losing 117-116 in the final seconds. Curry never thought his injury would keep him out for two-plus months. As time ticked away and the regular season wound down, Curry even began to question if he’d be able to play again at all this season. Curry never was in favor of being shut down, even when the Warriors were assured of another go in the play-in tournament with the understanding that competing for a championship this season isn’t sustainable. It’s part of what makes him who he is. Combine his competitiveness and talent, and you have somebody that has to be in any conversation of the all-time greats. The Warriors play for championships, not for play-in tournaments. They also play for pride, and watching Green compete on a nightly basis with so many factors against him served as a daily catalyst for Curry. “That was the biggest motivating factor, was to not let the season go by and not just have an opportunity to play,” Curry said Tuesday after Warriors practice. “Because when I got hurt, initially, I didn’t think I was going to be out that long, and then it dragged on and dragged on. I kept telling [Green] I felt bad for him, because I couldn’t do anything to help him. But he was battling, showing up every night, giving us what he had. So for me just to even just have a chance to play, I don’t take that for granted, because two weeks ago, like there was a couple days I didn’t know if I’d have the chance to even get out there. “I’m grateful, no matter how it turns out.” As Curry kept putting in work behind the scenes and kept cheering on teammates from the sidelines, as he says, Green kept showing up for work. Green could have waived the white flag. He could have thrown in the towel without Curry and Jimmy Butler and saved his body for the offseason, already shifting his focus to next season. None of that is what happened in the real world. In the 27 straight games Curry missed to injury, Green played in all but four. But following the Warriors’ final regular-season home game, a 16-point loss to the Los Angeles Lakers that Green played in without Curry, Kristaps Porziis and many more, Draymond shared little excitement for the play-in tournament. None, to keep it blunt.His mindset has shifted now that a postseason matchup with the LA Clippers is here, in hopes of more games on the way. “Yeah, like I said last week, once the game gets here, as a competitor you’re ready to go,” Green said Tuesday. “You go out there and you get embarrassed if you’re not ready. So just as a competitor as the game gets closer, for sure, but I definitely didn’t lose sleep last week. I meant that.” Once the regular season wrapped up, 82 games were put in the past. The task at hand became Wednesday’s single elimination, then getting through that for another single elimination before the Warriors again can shift gears into what goes on during a seven-game series. Warriors coach Steve Kerr on Monday called Green “extremely engaged” during the team’s scouting report and film session. So, what does that feel and sound like? “Probably a little too close to how Steve sounds,” Green said. “But honestly, just really trying to share different things that may not get covered. Trying to be another set of eyes for our coaching staff. They’re going through so many things when you’re watching the amount of film that they’re watching, sometimes that can lead to some fatigue. So what if they miss something? And that one thing can ultimately help save a bucket. Saving one bucket could be the game, you know, and so I just try to be an extra set of eyes for our coaching staff, for our team. “Share some things with them that they may not catch. Share some things with them that they may not know, just from experience, is ultimately what I try to do. But I probably talk a little too much.” There’s no mistaking who the loudest voice in a room is when Green walks in. He has a presence to him that’s unavoidable, whether you like it or not. He also has a wealth of knowledge behind years and years of experience playing high-level basketball from his youth to his mid-30s. Every piece of advice Green has is invited by coach and teammates. What might not be noticed by most is what jumps off the screen to a basketball savant like himself. It’s those intricacies he craves. And it’s this time of year he and Curry were made for. They’re much more yin and yang than fire and ice. The approach might come off different, though it never can mask the fire that burns inside each of them, and why the respect between each other is unmatched. “You give him a specific challenge, whether it’s a matchup or a tussle in-game, it brings the best out of all of us,” Curry said. “Him as a competitor, his strengths are obviously his IQ defensively, offensively, but when we have time to prepare for a matchup that we know going in what we need to do to win that specific game, it’s that ultimate game of chess that he loves to play. “It just brings a competitive spirit out of him that he’s built the résumé that he has.” A promise kept has Curry and Green again playing past the regular season with a chance to dance. They’ve played five play-in games together and 153 playoff games. Win or lose, their loyalty will last a lifetime.Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

How a promise kept has Steph Curry, Draymond Green facing play-in together again

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