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After an emotional letdown in the previous game, there was a mental element that Draymond Green and the Golden State Warriors had to overcome to take Game 7.
“I pouted way too much last game. I spent the last two days embarrassed at what I gave to the game– what I gave to the world.” Green said after the Warriors' 103-89 Game 7 win over the Houston Rockets. “I've been dying since the last game to get out on the floor and prove who I am.”
As crucial as Buddy Hield's 33 points and nine threes were in Game 7, it was Green and the Dubs' return to poise that re-elevated their defense back to championship level. With Green quarterbacking the defense, Golden State smothered the Rockets, holding them to 40.5% shooting and only 6-of-18 from beyond the arc. He finished with 16 points, six rebounds, five assists, a steal, and two blocks.
After the game, Steve Kerr praised Green for his leadership, emphasizing the important team meeting that took place the night before Game 7.
“Draymond set the tone last night at the team meeting. He owned up to losing his poise in Game 6, and I agreed with him.” Kerr said. “I thought the flagrant foul four minutes into the game was a tone setter, and he knew. He talked to the group last night and said, ‘I have to be poised, I have to be better, and we're going to come in here tomorrow and get it done.' I think his emotional stability tonight, just his poise from the start, set the tone.”
That stability was apparent from the start as Green played with controlled fire and heart. He was aggressive on offense, taking the shots Houston gave him, while also limiting Alperen Sengün's damage in the paint. While there was one tense moment, when Green inadvertently wacked Fred VanVleet near the chin after the guard reached in on him, Green kept his emotions in check enough to keep him in the game.
In his post-game press conference, Green himself talked about taking accountability for his behavior in Game 6.
“Obviously, I always try to defer to Steph, defer to Jimmy, and they wanted me to speak. But I had a lot to say. And like I said, most importantly, was calling myself out. You can't go into a Game 7 expecting guys to rally after the game we just had before and not address it. ” Green said.
He told the team to come into Game 7 with a “togetherness like no other” and “trusting each other” before taking responsibility for his role in the Game 6 loss.
“As much as this team needed [that speech], I felt like I needed it more because you got to be accountable. You can't be a leader and not be accountable. You call other guys out when their s–t stinks, then you better say when yours does too.”
The Timberwolves are a different beast
For as tough of a series as the Rockets gave the Warriors, the Timberwolves have one thing Houston doesn't: a certified superstar. Enter Anthony Edwards. He's going to be a problem in this Western Conference semifinals for the Warriors, especially with his shooting.
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The 2025 regular season league leader in 3PM averaged 26.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 6.2 assists in the Wolves' gentlemen's sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers. Edwards won't be as streaky as VanVleet and Jalen Green were from beyond the arc.
Not to mention the fact that the Warriors are faced with another huge team. Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle, and Naz Reid are a big step up from the big lineups the Rockets could throw out. Throw in the length of Edwards and Jaden McDaniels and the hustle of Donte DiVencenzo– the T-Wolves have the personnel to handle this Dubs team.
If the Warriors, who are fighting fatigue and age more than anything, are going to win this T-Wolves series, it starts with Green staying on the court. With four technical fouls accumulated during the Rockets series, Green is three away from getting an automatic one-game suspension, per the NBA's Playoff technical foul threshold.
Green is too important to the Warriors to get suspended or ejected. And Minnesota knows that. They will try to get under his skin. Like Ime Udoka and the Rockets baited him. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. But when it worked, it changed the tone of some of these games and the Warriors suffered for it.
In his post-game press conference, Stephen Curry talked about the importance of Green keeping his poise against a Wolves team that loves to talk trash and play physical:
“No better lesson than tonight. Make it about basketball. ” Curry advised. “He doesn't need to be a mute like not talk and be demonstrative. We want that kind of Drayomd but conserve the energy towards us [and] our huddles.”
Curry points out an important thing about Green. The same fire that gets him ejected is the same fire that makes him one of the best defensive players of all time. Curry knows it. Kerr knows it. Green himself knows it. And after joining the team, Jimmy Butler now knows it.
In his post-game interview, Butler talked about Draymond's role in helping him maintain his composure in the heat of a game.
“I talk to Dray before every game, and he said ‘don't do it,'” Butler said, “it” being talking to the refs and confronting other players. “Because we can't have two people out here doing it. So thanks to Dray. He's the one that gets to fire off on everybody, and I just sit back and relax.”
Green's the enforcer and the Warriors will need him to balance that line if they want to take down an ascending Timberwolves team.
