It was the “smartest stupid piece in history”. At least, that’s what Draymond Green called him.
With 8.7 seconds remaining for Monday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs and the Warriors losing by three, Green landed a long 3-point shot when Derrick White extended his arm towards Green. Green thought he was about to miss. But he didn’t say.
Green’s initial reaction to how it all ended: “Damn”.
“I know that most people are going to see this and add two plus two and see what’s going on there,” said Green. “Very smart move that ended up being stupid as hell.”
While not the only reason the Warriors lost, it sealed their fate in the 105-100 loss to the Spurs at the AT&T Center.
It is not always that Green makes an idiotic move. A few days ago, coach Steve Kerr praised him for being one of the sport’s smartest players. But we all have our moments.
Kerr knew that the Spurs would not miss when they led two, with about eight seconds to go. Greg Popovich does not like to make mistakes in these situations.
But that message was not passed on by Kerr to his players.
“It is probably my fault for not informing the team that Spurs are not usually at fault,” said Kerr. “We knew we had 8.7 seconds to drive and kick – lots of options in that kind of weather – and so we were just trying to spread the ground and get a good look.”
When the Warriors inbound the ball with 8.7 seconds on the clock, everyone knew who they wanted to take the ball to – for the two-time NBA MVP who currently shoots 42.5 percent of the 3-point interval. But instead, it went to Green, who is shooting 18.9 percent away.
RELATED: Steph’s 35-Foot Shimmy Leaves the Warriors Twitter in a Frenzy
Green had good intentions on the last move, when he threw the ball 12 meters away. As he said, he had the right idea when he went. The shot backfired.
“If it works, it’s incredible,” said Steph Curry. “He gets on the line, maybe he ties the game with three free throws, or at least make sure he scores the foul and gets on the line to extend the game. But it just didn’t work out like that. So go ahead.”
Download and subscribe to the Dubs Talk Podcast