NBA Finals 2022: Draymond Green not 'thrilled' by 4th-quarter benching in Warriors win
By Team Newsable | First Published Jun 11, 2022, 1:27 PM ISTDraymond, seen as the Warriors' heart and soul and one of the team's core members, has struggled in the Finals, which now stands at 2-2.
A crucial adjustment Golden State Warriors' Head Coach had to make in the fourth quarter in Game 4 of the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics was benching Draymond Green. Draymond, seen as the Warriors' heart and soul and one of the team's core members, has struggled in the Finals, which now stands at 2-2.
In today's game, Draymond had two points on seven field-goal attempts while getting ignored by the Celtics' defence on many occasions. The adjustment worked as the Warriors outscored the Celtics by five points in those non-Draymond minutes in a close game. Draymond also looked much better after the benching in the final three minutes as he played great defence and provided an essential assist for Kevon Looney that turned out to be a dagger.
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After the game, Draymond had the following to say about his benching: "I'm definitely never thrilled coming out of the game with seven minutes to go in the fourth quarter in a must-win game. I'm not going to sit here and act like I was thrilled. I'm a competitor."
"At the end of the day, if that's what coach decides, then you roll with it," he said. "You know, I had to keep my head in the game and, you know, whenever I went back in, try to make some plays. That was just my mindset. You know, don't make too much of it," Draymond added.
"I've always been of the — on the bandwagon of if you've got something and it's rolling, you stick with it. So it is what it is," he concluded.
About the Draymond Benching, Steve Kerr said, "Yeah, we took him out and put Loon in around maybe the eight-minute mark maybe, 7:40, which was our plan, anyway. But Loon was playing so well and Jordan Poole was playing so well, so we just stayed with the group."
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