Draymond Green has been the engine of a championship-caliber team looking to survive despite a slew of injuries, as the Golden State Warriors survived a sluggish fourth quarter to tie the Toronto Raptors 1-1 in the NBA Finals:
“We live for this,” said Draymond Green, according to Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. “Our backs against the wall. On the road. Klay goes down. Loon goes down. This is what we do.”
Green fell an assist shy of a triple-double, but managed to help power a team that has had its depth tested more and more through each game, making use of a resilience he and his teammates have built through the last five seasons:
“We’ve been in this situation a bunch of times now,” said Green. “We’re not laying down. Obviously, we need our guys out there on the floor. But if not, we’ve still got guys who can step up. You’ve got to beat us. That’s the most important thing. Making someone beat us.”
Trailing by five at the half, the Warriors went on an 18-0 run to start the third quarter, swinging the momentum of the game and later on hoping to navigate the fourth quarter without their leading scorer of the game in Klay Thompson, who would not return with a hamstring injury.
Kevon Looney suffered his own chest/collarbone injury in the first quarter, but was ruled out at halftime after experiencing severe pain in his upper chest area, going the entire 10 minutes of his run without a single field goal attempt.
And, of course, Kevin Durant was still out with his calf injury.
Ultimately, the Warriors managed to pull through and net a road win, putting them in prime position to take control of the series, despite the multiple ailing bodies.
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