It wasn't long ago that the relationship between Draymond Green and his head coach Steve Kerr was a rollercoaster ride in the midst of glory and chaos.
Kerr promoted Green to the starting lineup and soon enough brought the first championship in 40 years to the Bay Area. Next season, Green found himself at odds during an emotional, nationally-televised game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, where the Warriors found themselves down big at half time.
Green was overheard loudly yelling through the locker room doors, his anger directed at Kerr.
“I am not a robot! I know I can play! You have me messed up right now! If you don't want me to shoot, I won't shoot the rest of the game!,” Draymond Green was overheard yelling in utter frustration.
Kerr managed to redirect that anger into a catalyst performance, one that ended with a Stephen Curry 30-plus-foot 3-pointer dropping at the buzzer in now famous game-winning fashion.
“That was by far the worst day of our relationship,” Green said, according to Howard Beck of Bleacher Report, before adding, “That day will end up being the best day we've ever had.”
Ever since, Green and Kerr have butted heads, but always come out with ties stronger than ever. Green would even go as far as describing Kerr as a lifelong friend.
“A guy who I will stay in contact with, no matter what,” Green said, “who I'll talk to no matter what, who I'll look to for guidance in certain situations no matter what, who I can always get a solid opinion from, for the rest of my life.”
Though largely viewed as completely different personalities, Kerr admits Green and him are just as fiercely competitive, just harnessing it in different ways.
“We get it,” Steve Kerr said. “We understand each other. We know there's going to be an occasional blowup, because we're both extremely competitive. We're more alike than people would ever think.”
The partnership has established a level of trust, a general knowing his troops, with Green at the front of the line as the fiercest cog in an army of warriors.
That bond is something the two will look to make the most of in these Western Conference Finals, now with a road test to endure and only one home game left in the series.
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