Green pushes team to persevere
Warrior says success starts with defense
OKLAHOMA CITY — Warriors forward Draymond Green is not known for being patient. But when it comes to his team’s early struggles, he prefers to take the macro view.
“I don’t get deflated,” Green said after Golden State’s 12092 loss to the Thunder on Sunday. “It’s basketball. You want to win, you do all you can to win, but it’s basketball. I’m not about to get down in the dumps.”
Few would blame him for being frustrated, however. After five straight trips to the Finals, Green is tasked with helping lead a team with nine newcomers, only one of whom is older than 25. The Warriors have opened the season 02 for the first time since 2009. Neither loss was close, with Golden State falling to the Clippers by 19 before getting routed by 28 on Sunday.
Green, an emotional leader, figures the time for fireandbrimstone speeches hasn’t arrived.
“My job is to play and try to help lead,” Green said. “I haven’t done a great job of that, so I’ve got to do better. But I’m not the guy to make decisions and say, ‘They’re just not getting it.’ It’s two games. It sucks, and I know everyone’s used to seeing us win. I’m for damn sure not used to losing like this.
“But we’re not giving up on anyone after two games, nor are we giving up on ourselves. We’ve got another game tomorrow, and we’ll try to figure it out then.”
That should start on the defensive end. Golden State’s defensive rating through two games easily ranks last in the league, at 124.3.
“I’ve said for years, everyone loved our offense,” Green said. “But it wasn’t our offense that was making us great; it was our defense. I’ve said that for years. Our defense right now is nonexistent. I don’t think we even know what defense is right now.
“The offense sucks because we’re playing against a set defense every time. I don’t think anyone can play against a set defense every play. We’ve got to figure out a way on the defensive side of the ball. It’ll get easier for us. But until they figure that out, it’ll look a lot like this.”