Draymond Green is never one to back down from playful jabs. This is especially true in the aftermath of helping lead the Golden State Warriors to a key victory in the NBA playoffs. The Warriors defeated the Houston Rockets 103-89 on Monday night to win Game 7 and advance to the Western Conference semifinals.
After leading the Rockets 3-1 after four games, Fred VanVleet and the Rockets showed incredible resilience to stave off elimination with back-to-back wins, one coming on the road in Game 6, and force a decisive Game 7 in front of their home faithful. Ultimately, Green and the Warriors' experience proved to be the difference, as their adjustments were symbolic of a championship-proven organization.
Amid all the postgame celebrating, Green not only took a moment to truly appreciate the Rockets and talk about their bright future in the Western Conference, but he also made sure to clap back at VanVleet for the guard's recent comments.
“It's always fun winning in this city and winning in this arena,” Green said in his Game 7 postgame comments. “I saw Fred made a comment earlier saying, ‘This ain’t that team.’ It’s that organization, though. And we like coming to this city and playing in these situations. It’s been good to us.”
Before their playoff series against the Warriors even started, VanVleet discussed facing the Warriors at length, stating that the Rockets' failures against Golden State in the past aren't symbolic of this year's team.
“No! This ain't that team and that ain't this team,” VanVleet said at the team's practice on Apr. 16, via Rockets reporter Lachard Binkley. “It's a different team, we are a different team, they're a different team.”
Article Continues BelowWhile these may have been two different teams than the ones who faced off against one another in 2019, the result was the same for the Warriors.
Stephen Curry, Steve Kerr, and Green are now 5-0 in playoff series against the Rockets, as they have gone 20-10 in 30 playoff games against this organization. The Warriors picked up yet another impressive road win in a hostile Houston environment, which is the main reason why Green is satisfied with calling out his opponents for their previous comments.
While this may have been a different series for the Rockets and VanVleet compared to what the organization had faced previously, it was the same fiery energy for Green. The Warriors knew this task of taking down the Rockets would not be easy. That is why the veteran claimed he will be enjoying this win before refocusing his energy on the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“I think what you saw from us is that this stuff is hard, man,” Green continued. “He told me the other day, ‘I got a question,' and they were saying like, ‘This is tougher than it used to be.' I'm like, ‘No it ain't! It's always been hard. We know how hard it is.' It looked easy, but it's always been hard.
“To get over the hump, the first hump, you feel good about it. Enjoy it, appreciate it tonight, and move on from it tomorrow.”