Draymond Green Confident In Warriors’ Playoff Odds Before Play-in Games on Road: “When This Team’s Back Is Against The Wall..”

Draymond Green brimmed with confidence ahead of the play-in tournament. The Golden State Warriors ended their 2023-24 regular season at 10th spot and have an Everest to climb to qualify for the playoffs. The Dubs have to win two knockout games on the road to snatch the last ticket. As laborious as it sounds, the 4x NBA Champion boiled it down with his optimism. During the post-game press conference after the Utah Jazz win, a reporter asked Green about the road games, and he confidently said, “We’ve been on the road pretty much the last month.”

“Know we’re capable of going to win some road games, and when this team’s back is against the wall, I like how the group shows up… Not ideal, but it is what it is.” As the star power forward claimed, the Warriors have had a spectacular season on the road. Over the last decade, the Dubs fan base grew multi-fold and emerged as one of the most celebrated franchises. Games at the Chase Center have given nightmares to their opponent. However, this season, it hasn’t been the case.

The Bay area side had an underwhelming run at their home with a 21-20 record, compared to their previous home record of 30-22. Nevertheless, the team made it up with its on-the-road record. This season, the Dubs have a 25-16 away record. In their last 20 away games, the San Francisco side won 16 of them! As Draymond Green highlighted in his statement, the claim seems to be quite evident. However, it has all come down to two knockout games to enter the postseason.

The Warriors under Steve Kerr haven’t explored this path before, as they will be playing their first play-in tournament.

Will Draymond Green & Co. win their Kings clash?

While Draymond Green highlighted the team’s impressive on-the-road run, he also spoke about the team’s mentality on the knockout games. He said, ” It’s do-or-die, probably feels a little more NCAA Tournament-esque.” Apart from him, even Steve Kerr also compared the play-in tournament to college Championship games. The college teams need to win their Conference Championships to enter the NCAA tournament. Similarly, the Dubs need to win their play-in knockout games to enter the playoff.

While they radiated confidence about the games, they also have a competitive advantage over the Sacramento Kings. In this season, the Dubs leveled the regular season series against the Kings with a 2-2 record. However, in the 2023 postseason, the Dubs eliminated the Kings in Game 7 in the first round. On that day, Stephen Curry scored a mammoth 50 points!

The Sacramento side also comes from an underwhelming inconsistent second half this season, falling from 5th to 9th seed. Addressing the team’s poor run, De’Aaron Fox said, “We know we have to be better… we have to be a more consistent team,” during a presser last month.

With the Kings struggling, the Dubs may have a sure-shot win over them on Tuesday. Let us know your predictions in the comments.