The Golden State Warriors miraculously kept their winning streak alive as they defeated the in-form Dallas Mavericks Tuesday night. Stephen Curry and Co. got their 5th straight win after beating the Mavs 104-100 in a nail-biting finish. A major reason for the Warriors’ victory was the clutch performance by Draymond Green. The Warriors Forward showed why he is a deserving former DPOY, making several crucial plays in crunch time to lead his team to victory.
Green was doing all that he could on the floor for the Warriors in the final minutes. It started with him scoring two quick layups to extend the Warriors’ lead by 4 points. Draymond then showed his defensive prowess by making a clutch block on Mavs Center Daniel Gafford and kept the ball alive by passing it to Klay Thompson. Draymond’s late-game heroics silenced the critics who were still questioning his self-sabotaging antics from last week’s Orlando Magic game. Green’s clutch performance even garnered appreciation from his teammates and head coach. Andrew Wiggins, for one, called Draymond a “defensive mastermind,” calling him special.
Andrew Wiggins on Draymond Green:
“Man, Draymond is special. Defensive mastermind.”
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) April 3, 2024
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Even Draymond’s old rival turned teammate, Chris Paul, was impressed by his clutch block. CP3 had high praise for Draymond during the post-game interview, “I told Dray, ‘That might be one of the best plays I done ever seen in my career, and I’m not exaggerating, man.’”
"I told Dray, 'That might be one of the best plays I done ever seen in my career, and I'm not exaggerating, man.'"
CP3 on Draymond's clutch block in the fourth quarter of tonight's win pic.twitter.com/05X8ZZaZV8
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 3, 2024
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr revealed the importance of Draymond’s last-minute block on Gafford, “That was probably the key defensive play of the game.”
Steve Kerr on Draymond Green's clutch block and save down the stretch
"That was probably the key defensive play of the game." 💯 pic.twitter.com/MG8FwrNlUL
— KNBR (@KNBR) April 3, 2024
Kerr also claimed Draymond is one of the reasons the Warriors have been able to turn the season around. After tonight’s win, the Warriors have improved to a 41-34 record.
Has Draymond Green salvaged his reputation with tonight’s clutch performance?
It was less than a week ago that Draymond Green’s on-court antics left his long-time teammate Stephen Curry in tears. Green got ejected only 4 minutes into last Wednesday’s game against the Orlando Magic; his 4th for the season. The officials gave him two quick technical fouls for chirping at them for their calls. Steph shook his head in disappointment and wiped his tears with his jersey as Draymond left him stranded on the floor. The incident also sparked rumors regarding a secret beef between Steph and Draymond.
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Steve Kerr even addressed the issue live on air, “He deserved it. You can’t do that. But that’s not Steph’s fault.” He asserted Draymond is a grown man and needs to handle his own business.
Steve Kerr: “Draymond knows he’s a grown man. He's got to handle his own business. Any mention of Steph being culpable is just ridiculous. The way Steph has carried our franchise represented our franchise for 15 years. It’s absolutely ridiculous.” pic.twitter.com/yL19Mrvnd2
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) March 28, 2024
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However, Green might have salvaged his reputation with Tuesday night’s performance against the Mavs. Even though Draymond had only 11 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists, his contribution to the team went beyond the stat sheet. Draymond was the Warriors’ defensive anchor for the evening and brought neccessary energy to the floor. If Draymond can maintain this balance between being a fiery competitor without going overboard with his antics, the Warriors will be hard to beat in the upcoming play-in tournament.
Read More: Painful Loneliness Makes Mark Cuban Jealous of Draymond Green: “The Stress Starts Building”