The Golden State Warriors ran in Game 7 and booked their place for the next round.
There’s no need to remind the Golden State Warriors how humiliating it would be to blow the 3-1 series lead.
But rather than looking at the big picture, the Warriors’ inspiration to win Game 7 against the Houston Rockets came from frustration in their own performance.
No one felt this more than Draymond Green.
After the game, Warriors coach Steve Kerr spoke about how Draymond Green led an effective team talk before the contest.
He said Green admitted that he had lost his composure in Game 6 and vowed to turn it around.
After the Game 7 victory, Green told his press conference:
He states: “I cried out too many of my last games. I was embarrassed only for what I gave to the game, what I gave to the world over the last two days.
“One thing about this league is that you will never prove who you are until you die.
“So I wanted to come out and prove again that I was just who I was, my calmness, but in the same fire, the same tenacity, another game, we gave what we should follow.
“What I gave them to follow the final game, they follow. That’s why we were bullied. But I think I gave them something to follow today.”
Draymond Green was able to save the series’ most effective performance to the end. This is a perfect timing case.
Green scored 16 points. This was the first time that he reached double digits against the Rockets in this series, averaging 8.0 points.
The game is remembered for Buddy Heald’s epic 33-point night, with numbers indicating that Draymond Green’s filming wasn’t as efficient, but it was still important.
The greens went 2/8 from the 3-point range, but it was a very valuable 7/15 from the field. He also added six rebounds and five assists.
Steve Kerr played him for 40 minutes. His longest outing in the series wasn’t surprising given the size of the game.
Green’s reflections highlight how challenging the series is, with another harsh waiting.