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Speaker 1: Welcome back to The Draymond Green Show. This is our episode.
Speaker 1: As we said last week, we're testing. I'm splitting the
Speaker 1: episodes into two parts. The top of the show, um
Speaker 1: where I'm sharing my thoughts and on several things, and
Speaker 1: then also the guest interview us. We've thought the guest
Speaker 1: interviews has kind of created their own lane and it's
Speaker 1: been great conversation in themselves, and just wanted to split
Speaker 1: the two up. So here's another week of testing that out,
Speaker 1: which means we got this episode and then tomorrow we'll
Speaker 1: drop our conversation with Seth Curry, which was an amazing one.
Speaker 1: We talked a lot about uh sef journey and how
Speaker 1: he had to how most people think, you know, you're
Speaker 1: your Del curry son and your Sef, you know your
Speaker 1: Steph Curry's brother, that you just get a pass into
Speaker 1: the NBA and and that starts to work against you.
Speaker 1: We spoke about that, the nets Uh fatherhood. We spoke
Speaker 1: about a lot of things, so I thought, you know,
Speaker 1: that was a great conversation. But we also have a
Speaker 1: lot to get into here, and number one is the Warriors.
Speaker 1: We have one two straight while having three games left,
Speaker 1: two big ones. By the way. To win against Utah
Speaker 1: was huge because most of the poorly gave us the
Speaker 1: tiebreaker and where we would have been, if I'm not mistaken,
Speaker 1: I think our record would have been the same had
Speaker 1: we lost to them um or one game a head,
Speaker 1: but the tiebreaker, it would have come down to more
Speaker 1: than just the had to have matchup. I think the
Speaker 1: next thing out there had to have matchup is who
Speaker 1: has the best record in their division, if I'm not mistaken,
Speaker 1: And so number one was the tiebreaker, But I think
Speaker 1: even more importantly than that was we you know, over
Speaker 1: the over the course of the last three games the
Speaker 1: Phoenix game included in which we lost. You like, there
Speaker 1: was just a sense like we had twenty one turnover
Speaker 1: so that was terrible. But yet we we we lost
Speaker 1: by I think four points UM in a game that
Speaker 1: we could have and should have won. You you felt
Speaker 1: like ourselves again. It felt like we defended the right way.
Speaker 1: It felt like we had good intentions on moving the ball.
Speaker 1: We missed a ton of shots, UM, and so that
Speaker 1: one you just kind of felt and had a sense
Speaker 1: of like, okay, um, we're kind of getting back to
Speaker 1: the Warriors that we were earlier in the year, where
Speaker 1: we were the number one defense in the league. Like
Speaker 1: you can see that coming and it's coming out a
Speaker 1: great time. Like you we always say you want to
Speaker 1: roll into the playoffs. You don't want to stumble into
Speaker 1: the playoffs. And so to get that win against Utah, uh,
Speaker 1: with with what was at stake and also with with
Speaker 1: the way we have been playing, um, we hadn't won
Speaker 1: any meaningful games. We hadn't won it really any games
Speaker 1: at all, and so to to kind of work ourselves
Speaker 1: out of the rut, that was a huge win. That's
Speaker 1: also a team that we can face in the playoffs,
Speaker 1: and you always say when you're facing the team that
Speaker 1: you can face in the playoffs, you want to send
Speaker 1: a message. You want that team to think about the
Speaker 1: last time they played you on what happened. And so
Speaker 1: I think it was great from that standpoint as well.
Speaker 1: I think we also found some things that we can more,
Speaker 1: things that we can rely on with and go to.
Speaker 1: While Steph is out. You know, Jordan Poole has been
Speaker 1: playing incredible by the A Jordan Pool for for Most
Speaker 1: Improved Player, which we're gonna discuss because that deserves its
Speaker 1: own segment on this top of the show. So we're
Speaker 1: gonna discuss that. But I think with with just the
Speaker 1: way we came out of that and then rolling into yesterday,
Speaker 1: which was to win against the Sacramento Kings, that game
Speaker 1: would have been a lot tougher had we not built
Speaker 1: the momentum we built the night before that you're coming
Speaker 1: off a loss last night gets way tougher than it was.
Speaker 1: And and you know, no, no NBA game is easy.
Speaker 1: You still gotta go out there and win the game.
Speaker 1: You're still playing against NBA players, and so we're playing
Speaker 1: against the Sacramento Kings team, who's who's headed on vacation
Speaker 1: um pretty soon here in the next week. But the
Speaker 1: thing about playing against teams in that position is they
Speaker 1: just come out and play free. You know, they come
Speaker 1: out there, they're firing shots. You know, guys are just
Speaker 1: loosing free because nothing matters. Like you, you can do
Speaker 1: whatever you want and and there's really no repercussions repercussions,
Speaker 1: and so they were playing that way. I think we
Speaker 1: we we punched them early and were were able to
Speaker 1: kind of hold onto that grip for the majority of
Speaker 1: the game. They went on rue run there in the
Speaker 1: fourth quarter, but for the most part, we really control
Speaker 1: the entire place of the game. And so to how
Speaker 1: those two games, uh and and kind of get those
Speaker 1: on our belt, get those two wins under our belt
Speaker 1: and kind of rebuild the confidence of this team. I
Speaker 1: think it's great, which is heading into these last three
Speaker 1: games and we got the Lakers coming up at home
Speaker 1: on Thursday, and then we head out for back to
Speaker 1: back San Antonio in New Orleans to to close out
Speaker 1: the season. I think the beautiful thing about all these
Speaker 1: all three of these games is they all have playoff implications,
Speaker 1: which means our guys, once again, um, who don't have
Speaker 1: a ton of experience get we'll get and have three
Speaker 1: opportunities to feel that intensity whereas you know, still to
Speaker 1: be different in the playoffs, but you will feel a
Speaker 1: playoff like atmosphere. And I think it's God's great for
Speaker 1: guys to fill that heading into the real theme because
Speaker 1: you know, you get slapped in the face by stepping
Speaker 1: out there. You know, we play we play rookies, um
Speaker 1: part of our rotation and so um, you you want
Speaker 1: guys to get that experience and kind of feel that
Speaker 1: atmosphere and feel how you need to take that level
Speaker 1: of competition up and notch, how you need to take
Speaker 1: that level of focus up and not Everything in the
Speaker 1: playoff is ramped up a notch and every round you go,
Speaker 1: it's ramped up even more. And so I think it's
Speaker 1: great for guys to be able to have the opportunity
Speaker 1: to feel that over the course season. Next three games
Speaker 1: we play the Lakers and the Spurs and Repelicans. All
Speaker 1: three of those teams are battling for the nine in
Speaker 1: ten spot and so uh, those are very important games.
Speaker 1: You know, both all three of those teams are gonna
Speaker 1: come out swinging, giving all they got. I think if
Speaker 1: the Lakers. Um, the Lakers could actually be eliminated if
Speaker 1: I'm not mistaken by Thursday, because I'm they play Phoenix
Speaker 1: tomorrow or by the time this drop it will be
Speaker 1: them them playing Phoenix today, So we'll see. But no
Speaker 1: matter what, the Spurs and Repelicans are fighting for playoff positions,
Speaker 1: so those will be two two tough games, and we're
Speaker 1: still fighting for playoff position as well, and so I
Speaker 1: think it's a very interesting, um, very interesting week ahead.
Speaker 1: I think it's a great week to half for us.
Speaker 1: The Spurs have kind of had our number this year,
Speaker 1: so that will be a good game for us as well,
Speaker 1: and I'm really looking forward to it. Uh, for everybody
Speaker 1: who hated on the playing tournament, it seems to be
Speaker 1: making for a great week, week and a half of
Speaker 1: basketball leading up to the playoffs again. And I know
Speaker 1: a lot of people hated it and didn't like the
Speaker 1: idea to player in tournament, and the NBA said, Yep,
Speaker 1: we're gonna stick with it, and it keeps creating these
Speaker 1: interesting situations. So for those that don't like to play
Speaker 1: in tournament, I think you should get used to it,
Speaker 1: because from the looks of it is probably here to stay.
Speaker 1: I mean last year you had Lebron James, Steph Curry,
Speaker 1: um John Moran in the playing tournament this year, and
Speaker 1: Jayson Tatum in the Playing Tournament last year. And I'm
Speaker 1: sure I'm missing some very prominent names. This year you
Speaker 1: have possibly Lebron James, you have Kevin Durant and Kyrie
Speaker 1: Era for sure. You have possibly LaMelo Ball for sure,
Speaker 1: Carl Anthony Towns possibly or possibly uh Donovan, Mitchell, Paul
Speaker 1: George like. You're actually ending up with stars in these
Speaker 1: playing games. And last year, if I'm not mistaken, the
Speaker 1: two playing games where the high or two of the
Speaker 1: highest rated games in the season for certain. And so
Speaker 1: for those of you that don't like to play a game,
Speaker 1: you may want to get used to it because it's
Speaker 1: creating some interesting situations and it is here to stay.
Speaker 1: And moving forward, let's talk about Jordan Poole for the
Speaker 1: Most Improved Player Award. How isn't he has had twenty
Speaker 1: points and what twenty something straight games, joining Kevin Durant
Speaker 1: and Steph Curry as the only Warriors to do that
Speaker 1: in the last thirty years. If I'm not mistaken, its
Speaker 1: playing meaningful basketball. It's not like he's doing this on
Speaker 1: a team that's and fifty. You know, he's doing this
Speaker 1: on the team that's fifty and twenty nine or fifty
Speaker 1: and twenty eight or fifty whatever we are. He's playing
Speaker 1: incredible basketball. About a year ago, he was he was
Speaker 1: almost out of NBA. He was sent to the G
Speaker 1: League because no one felt like he had it together.
Speaker 1: No one felt like he had figured at out, or
Speaker 1: we're figuring it out. And look at him now every
Speaker 1: night he's putting on the show. Had we been winning
Speaker 1: some games, he would have probably he would have one
Speaker 1: been the player of the Month in March in the
Speaker 1: Western Conference, not not rookie of the Player of the
Speaker 1: month in the Western Conference. But due to injuries and
Speaker 1: a bunch of different things, our rotations all over the place,
Speaker 1: me coming back into the line up, Steph Curry going
Speaker 1: out of the line up, blah blah blah. We had
Speaker 1: a tough month. That does not stop what he did
Speaker 1: and how much he has improved. So I would love
Speaker 1: to know who the voters could possibly think deserves it
Speaker 1: over him, because and looking at his entire body of work,
Speaker 1: he had one little stretch in the season where he
Speaker 1: where Clay came back, he was moved to the bench.
Speaker 1: He kind of had to figure that role out. Had
Speaker 1: a few bad games, but for the most part of
Speaker 1: the season he's been doing exactly what he's doing now
Speaker 1: on a playoff team, one of the top playoff teams.
Speaker 1: I think Jordan Pool has to be at the top
Speaker 1: of that conversation for most improved player. I thought earlier
Speaker 1: in the year Myles Bridges was leading, and I thought
Speaker 1: earlier in the year Darius Garlands, Darius Garland was leading.
Speaker 1: But with with when you're it's the ward is most improved.
Speaker 1: Miles Bridges, who's my little bro, improved a bunch, improved
Speaker 1: a bunch. He didn't have to make as big of
Speaker 1: improvement as Jordan Pool had to make. Darius Garland, who
Speaker 1: is my little bro, who improved a bunch? Being All
Speaker 1: star in this league for a long time, he didn't
Speaker 1: have to improve as much as Jordan Pool had to improve.
Speaker 1: And so it's not that those two guys aren't aren't
Speaker 1: aren't in the race, because I think those two guys
Speaker 1: are right up there at the top as well with Jordan's.
Speaker 1: But I think when you say the words most improved,
Speaker 1: he it goes back to this conversation of what is
Speaker 1: the criteria. There's no real criteria. It's kind of just
Speaker 1: what someone feels when you say most improved, who improved
Speaker 1: the most. I have to say Jordan Pool improved the
Speaker 1: most and he deserves the award. So I'm interested in
Speaker 1: seeing where that goes. As we had done the stretch
Speaker 1: m v P. My m v P is Devin Booker.
Speaker 1: I think book has been consistent all year. I think
Speaker 1: UM with as good as their team has been. Again,
Speaker 1: we go back to the conversation, there's no criteria. Some
Speaker 1: years it is the best player on the best team.
Speaker 1: Some years it's UM. You know, Russell Westbrook teams were
Speaker 1: in sixth place, but he won, and don't get me wrong,
Speaker 1: he deserved to win. But we just all wonder what's
Speaker 1: the criteria? And so however, for me, from my criteria,
Speaker 1: Devin Booker is the m v P of the NBA
Speaker 1: with its consistent as he's been, He's faced injuries, he's
Speaker 1: come back, hasn't missed the beat, their team has continued
Speaker 1: to win. There they're they're leading the NBA in first
Speaker 1: place by a long shot. Gotta go with Devin Booker
Speaker 1: is my m v p Defensive Player of the Year
Speaker 1: is tricky for me. The reason the Defensive Player of
Speaker 1: the Year is tricky for me, it's because, like I
Speaker 1: said before, through thirty three games, I had to a
Speaker 1: war one. When I look at the following the thirty
Speaker 1: three games to follow that, I can't tell you within
Speaker 1: those thirty games or who I'm like, oh, maybe that guy,
Speaker 1: like that guy should win. Now, like I didn't really
Speaker 1: see anyone separate themselves. So because of that, I struggled
Speaker 1: with who to pick. But if I want to put
Speaker 1: some type of criterion, then then you say, all right,
Speaker 1: look at what the Boston Celtics has done, um and
Speaker 1: how and how you know their defense changed their season.
Speaker 1: And then you look up and everybody saying Marcus Smart,
Speaker 1: which I think Marcus Smart is a hell of a defender.
Speaker 1: I think he's an incredible defender. But before Robert Williams
Speaker 1: got hurt a week ago, everyone was saying Robert Williams
Speaker 1: was the key to the defense, and so that swear
Speaker 1: I kind of struggle there. I think Marcus Smart is
Speaker 1: a hell of a defender, don't get me wrong, but
Speaker 1: I'm just saying a week ago, before the injury, the
Speaker 1: narrative was Robert Williams was the key to their defense
Speaker 1: and why everybody is able to switch and just fundo
Speaker 1: everything to him, and he cleans all the mistakes at
Speaker 1: the rim. And then once he got hurt, now all
Speaker 1: of a sudden, everybody's like, oh, Marcus Smarts the defensive
Speaker 1: player of the year, Hell of a defender, great defender.
Speaker 1: But how did the narrative change so fast? Is what
Speaker 1: I don't understand. That's my only question about Marcus Smart.
Speaker 1: But definitely should be in the conversation, could be deserving.
Speaker 1: Michael Bridges has to be in the conversation. Probably is
Speaker 1: the winner with with the way he's guard. I've seen
Speaker 1: him guard the hell out of some guys. What I
Speaker 1: like about Michael Bridges is he's a good defender. He's
Speaker 1: not a good on ball defender. He's a good defender.
Speaker 1: He's good on the ball, he's good off the all.
Speaker 1: He can block shots week side, he can play passing lanes,
Speaker 1: he's in the right spot, he's always a help. He's
Speaker 1: a good defender. See, there's some defenders that compromises your
Speaker 1: defense in order to be good defenders. Michael Bridges don't
Speaker 1: compromise your defense to be a good defender. So Michael
Speaker 1: Bridges has to be in the conversation and it's probably
Speaker 1: deserving to be the winner of it Coach of the Year.
Speaker 1: And I struggle with this when it has to be
Speaker 1: one of two guys, I one of three guys. Email you,
Speaker 1: Doka because he may see it wasn't like the Boston
Speaker 1: Celtics was handing him after last year as the Boston
Speaker 1: Celtics that we all know they were not very good
Speaker 1: last year and they were in the playing tournament and
Speaker 1: people are talking about trade Marcus Smart and trade Jaylen
Speaker 1: Brown and all of this stuff. They started off the
Speaker 1: season and rough, and they figured it out. I gotta
Speaker 1: give a lot of credit to Emy for that. So
Speaker 1: emays in the race. Doc Rivers is in the race
Speaker 1: with everything that team was going through with the bed situation.
Speaker 1: Um to to stay right at the top of the
Speaker 1: Eastern Conference. That's the hell of a coaching job. That
Speaker 1: gotta keep everybody on a straight and narrow in order
Speaker 1: to accomplish that. So Doc Rivers has to be in
Speaker 1: the conversation. And then JB. Bickerstaff has to be in
Speaker 1: the conversation. I mean, nobody expected and I know they've
Speaker 1: been losing as of late, but if you would have
Speaker 1: told the Cleveland Cavaliers or anyone else that they would
Speaker 1: be in the playing game this year, and possibly with
Speaker 1: an opportunity to still beat a top six seed in
Speaker 1: the playoffs, everybody would have jumped at it. They were
Speaker 1: probably the fourteen, number, four, thirteen, and fourteen in the
Speaker 1: Eastern Conference last year. So I gotta give a lot
Speaker 1: of credit to JB. Bickerstyle and of those red I
Speaker 1: would Monty. Well, my only thing with Money is they
Speaker 1: played in the NBA Finals last year. Okay, I who
Speaker 1: wanted last year? Tims? I think which I thought. I
Speaker 1: thought Money should have wanted last year. But like but
Speaker 1: like I thought it was a no brainer. They should
Speaker 1: have wanted. Money should have wanted last year. But for
Speaker 1: me to say now Money should win it just because
Speaker 1: he didn't win it last year. They were playing in
Speaker 1: the NBA Finals last year, lost in six games, and
Speaker 1: so I kind of expected them to come out this
Speaker 1: year like this. You're piste off. You got the same team.
Speaker 1: You added some pieces, javaal McGee, who I thought it
Speaker 1: was a big ad, Like, you added some pieces, but
Speaker 1: you got your continuity. I expected that from them this
Speaker 1: year what they've done, and so uh, not taking anything
Speaker 1: away from money. With what he's done with that organization
Speaker 1: and turn everything around, it's insane. So I'm not taking
Speaker 1: anything away from money, but I'm just like, who's done
Speaker 1: like the job this year that no one saw coming.
Speaker 1: It's usually who I like to go with Culture of
Speaker 1: the Year, um, which is why money would have been
Speaker 1: in last year for me. No one saw the Phoenix
Speaker 1: Suns going to the NBA Finals last year coming into
Speaker 1: the season, and so that's why money would have been
Speaker 1: in from me, and they were a top two seed
Speaker 1: battling for a one seed. So that's why this year
Speaker 1: I have to go with Email Udoka. I think Email
Speaker 1: as a coach of the year his first first first
Speaker 1: year of culture two. To take Jason Tatum and Jalen
Speaker 1: Brown from what everybody thought should be a thing go
Speaker 1: to pass to a thing of the future is a
Speaker 1: big time thing. That's two young guys that you got
Speaker 1: that you're trying to get to buy in. UM. In
Speaker 1: what case that both guys could think, no, I should
Speaker 1: be the number one guy and you get them to
Speaker 1: buy in and that team to be playing how they're
Speaker 1: playing to get Marcus Smart to looking like the point
Speaker 1: guard everyone thought Marcus Smart would be coming out. See now,
Speaker 1: Marcus Smart. I don't know if people remember Marcus Smart
Speaker 1: coming out of Oklahoma State, but was the ultimate winner.
Speaker 1: Um was going to USA Camps destroying everybody still has
Speaker 1: a college kid. I'm talking that Marcus Smart. Marcus Smart
Speaker 1: this year is playing the type of basketball that that
Speaker 1: Marcus Smart played. And that's no discredit to the basketball.
Speaker 1: And Marcus Smart has played his own career. Marcus Smart
Speaker 1: has had a very good career. But I think now
Speaker 1: Marcus Smart is is playing the basketball that everyone thought
Speaker 1: Marcus Smart would play when he first came out. And
Speaker 1: it's so beautiful to see and you know what it's
Speaker 1: showing up in Remember what I said Marcus Smart was
Speaker 1: back then, Marcus Smart played basketball like the ultimate winner. WHOA,
Speaker 1: what's the boss that I was just doing? Now the
Speaker 1: winning I think Marcus Smart have a huge, huge, huge
Speaker 1: thing to do with that. And so email you Dooka
Speaker 1: has to be the coach of the Year. And my
Speaker 1: Rookie of the Year is Evan Mobili. He's playing on
Speaker 1: the winning team that's going to be in the playoffs.
Speaker 1: The basketball that he's played all year, He's consistently gotten better.
Speaker 1: I also think he's the start that draft. I think
Speaker 1: he is going to be insanely good. I actually thought
Speaker 1: this before this year, but Evan Mobile is my Rookie
Speaker 1: of the Year for sure. So that's who I got
Speaker 1: um for this year's awards. We'll see how it all
Speaker 1: plays out. I'm interested in seeing how it plays out
Speaker 1: because I think, you know, uh, Jackson and I decided
Speaker 1: whether we were going to do the awards this week
Speaker 1: or not. And it's funny because we decided that we
Speaker 1: were gonna do him next week because we still think
Speaker 1: the races are still playing out, like there's so many
Speaker 1: there's still manyful games left in this season down the
Speaker 1: stretch that because sway somewhe went one way or another,
Speaker 1: and so we said we were doing this next week.
Speaker 1: But then I started talking about Jordan Pool and I'm like, well,
Speaker 1: if I'm talking about guys, we'll talk about all awards,
Speaker 1: so talk most improved player. But um, that's it, man.
Speaker 1: That's that's the top of the show. I hope y'all
Speaker 1: enjoyed it. That's my thoughts. That's my takes. Playoffs right
Speaker 1: around the corner Warriors back to fifty wins clinched the
Speaker 1: playoffs spot. I never really appreciated the playoffs so much
Speaker 1: since my rookie year, but after not playing the playoffs
Speaker 1: for two years, I need it, so I'm excited. That's it.
Speaker 1: Actually catch you all tomorrow with the Seth Curry interview.
Speaker 1: Make sure y'all locked into that one as well. Draymond
Speaker 1: Green Show, it's a rap talk to y'all later piece,