Draymond Green is why Warriors are champs -- Kerr
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 05 May 2018
?If Draymond were on a different team, nobody at Oracle would like him.?
That?s how Golden State head coach Steve Kerr measures the importance of Draymond Green, the Warriors? able defender, passer, rebounder and utility man rolled into one.
While saying that his bulky, vocal power forward-point guard is great, legitimately great, Kerr admitted Green is a dirty player, an agitator, ?but a kind f player you?ll love if he?s on your team and you hate when he?s not.?
In an interview with KNBR 680 last Wednesday, Kerr said that Green was the ?ultimate antagonist? and that the Golden State Warriors ?would have never won a championship without him.?
?Let?s be honest, the coach added, ?if Draymond were on a different team, nobody at Oracle would like him. Nobody on our team would like him. He?s the ultimate irritant. He?s the ultimate antagonist. And when he?s on your team ? oh man do you love him. He competes, hard and he generates so much energy and competitive desire. He brings this edge to the game. We would not have a single championship without Draymond.?
?I know that. He?s such a huge factor for us in every series because of his versatility. ?But he?s just one of those guys who no matter what happens, there?s gonna be a lot of stuff going on. And I love it ? we need that,? he stressed by way of paying tribute to Green?s intangible contribution to the Warriors? cause.
?Indeed, a little honesty around the guy will point to the fact that he?s nice,? attested by one friend of this columnist who is from the Bay Area and, ergo, a GWS fan. People try to tiptoe around who he is as a character in the narrative of the NBA, over-explaining every little thing when it?s pretty simple.
I agree and well, I guess some people are a little too direct about Draymond, but people around him, his teammates, coaches and even heads of Golden State organization overlook that.
oOo
Meanwhile, Cleveland Cavaliers ?King? LeBron James continued his unbelievably hot performance in this year?s post-season. The King made NBA Playoff history during Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Toronto Raptors on Thursday night.
LeBron surpassed the 30-point and 10-assist barriers during the game. It marked the 16th time in James? postseason career where he topped each number, passing the great Michael Jordan on the all-time list. No player in NBA history has done that in as many playoff games.
That passes one Michael Jordan for the most in playoffs history, according to @EliasSports. It also must be noted that the three players closest to him, Jordan, Jerry West, and Oscar Robertson, are all retired. James has at least four more playoff games in 2018 and who knows how many for the rest of his career?
Much like his entire career, James? postseason performance in 2018 has been highlighted by awe-inspiring individual show. It really is something to behold. James brought Game 1 of his Cavs? conference semifinals series against Toronto Tuesday to an entirely new level. It included him putting up 26 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists in the surprise road win.
It?s also the second consecutive Game 1 that James has put up a triple-double, joining himself in some rather elite company as Magic Johnson and Jason Kidd.
King James is averaging 33.4 points, 10.1 rebounds and 8.4 assists in 42 minutes of action thus far in the playoffs. An average of 42 minutes per game. At 33 years old, it just seems that James is getting stronger as his career moves along.
His value to his team is second-to-none of any player in the modern history of the NBA not named Michael Jordan. Take this year?s playoffs, Cleveland boasts a plus 23.3 defensive rating with James on the court. And while the Cavaliers are being outscored by two points with James on the court in eight playoff games, they?re minus-39 when he?s sitting on the bench. That?s a negative 39-point differential in 42 minutes.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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