SAN FRANCISCO — The genesis of this dynasty run for the Warriors can be traced to the 2014-15 season.
Back then, Andre Iguodala was making about $12.3 million for the season as the team’s third-highest paid player. Yet, he spent the entire season coming off the bench – a whopping 95 games – before he got his first start of the season in Game 4 of the NBA Finals. The Warriors would win the next three games with their Death Lineup and their first championship of the era, as Iguodala was named Finals MVP. Iguodala's season of patience set a precedent of selflessness, one that still resonates with today’s team.
When Steph Curry returned from his foot injury last year in the playoffs, he began the first-round series by coming off the bench despite his Hall of Fame resume. When Andrew Wiggins returned from his two-month absence for Game 1 of this Warriors-Kings series and came off the bench for the first time in his career, it wasn’t about Wiggins’ ego.
So when a suspended Draymond Green watched the Warriors spread out the Kings and run to a victory in Game 3, he knew what he had to do next: take a visit to Steve Kerr’s office.
“He came to me immediately after Game 3,” Kerr said. “He drove back to the arena and was in my office and he walked in and he said, ‘What do you think about me coming off the bench?’”
Truth be told, Kerr was relieved. The thought was already floating around in his head, but the decision to bench a future Hall of Famer is a lot easier when he approaches you with it first.
For the first time since the first round of the 2014 playoffs – pre-dating Kerr’s arrival – Draymond came off the bench Sunday afternoon. And the Warriors kept their winning ways, rolling with a 126-125 nailbiter that featured some late drama.
“Draymond and I were both thinking the same thing after Game 3, because we’ve been through this together for almost a decade,” Kerr said. “He saw it made a change in the chessboard and it allowed our guys to have a little more space offensively. … The fact that he came in and suggested it, that makes it a lot easier.”
Draymond’s individual pride may be immense, but it doesn’t overshadow his desire to get a fifth championship. At the ripe age of 33, Green had no problem ceding his starting spot to Jordan Poole after the Warriors found more breathing room in Game 3. He saw the vice grip on the offense loosen up and wanted to keep it moving.
Kerr kept his same starting five in Game 4 -- with shooters like Curry, Poole, Wiggins and Klay Thompson surrounding big man Kevon Looney. Bringing Draymond off the bench also allows Kerr to stagger the minutes with Looney and keep one of them on the floor at all times.
“I’m a firm believer in if something isn’t broke, you don’t fix it,” Green said. “Our offense was rolling and we played good defensively (in Game 3). So I didn’t want to come back and just shake things up because I’m back. That’s not right. … I never want to reach that point in my career where I feel entitled to something.”
Kerr is known for his interpersonal relationships and ability to handle the big personalities in the building. He didn’t take this decision lightly and even called Draymond again on Saturday to get his blessing. They hashed out the pros/cons of the decision, including the emotional toll it might take on Green to be benched for the first time in nine years. But Draymond didn’t want to get touchy-feely. Not with the chance to even up the team’s most challenging first-round battle in years.
“Who f–king cares? Who cares how I feel?” Green said. “It doesn’t matter how I feel. … It’s about winning basketball games at this time of year, whether you come off the bench, whether you start, whether you play two minutes or 40.”
His teammates say selflessness is just part of the Warriors’ identity at this point.
“We talk a lot around here about doing whatever it takes to win and everybody being flexible on what their role is and what they are asked to do,” Curry said. “From the top all the way to the bottom. It’s well-documented.”
"He's a selfless player," Klay said. "Draymond's a winner and he realized that last game we got great flow offensively with the four-guard lineup. To stagger him and (Kevon Looney)'s minutes benefitted us a lot. ... That's why he's the champion he is."
Green sat for the first 5:22 of the game before getting a huge ovation from the crowd when he entered and ended up playing 31 minutes, just a shade under his average for the regular season. Draymond put up a typical stat line – with 12 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds – while leaving some easy buckets on the floor on a 3-of-14 shooting night. It’s worth noting that Draymond played the final 10:43 of the game, so he was on the floor when it mattered most.
To leave his impact to the box score doesn’t do much justice, as he also needs to be commended for slowing down De’Aaron Fox in the second half. Fox went 5-of-15 after halftime and scored 17 of his 38 points after the break.
“I loved it,” Green said of the challenge of guarding Fox. “Fox is a great player, man. He’s incredible. He continues to get better and any time you draw the assignment to go guard the other team’s best player, you appreciate the opportunity.”
According to Kerr, the decision to put Draymond on Fox was first brainstormed by assistant coaches Dejan Milojević and Chris DeMarco before the Warriors made the move at halftime. Even though Draymond is listed at 6-foot-6 and usually heralded for his work as an undersized big man, he drew praise for his ability to stay with the lightning quick Fox on the perimeter.
“It’s the beauty of Draymond defensively,” Kerr said. “There’s so much versatility there that he can guard anybody. We just thought it could be a good idea to give Fox a different look and change the coverage a little bit. I thought it clicked. It worked.”
Despite missing Game 3 due to a suspension, Draymond came out chirping with Fox in the first quarter and got whistled for a technical foul less than a minute into his appearance.
"I’m still here. Don’t s–t change. Ain’t no tech taking me off my square," Green said. "Sorry. Well, not really."
Draymond smiled when asked about the 2-0 deficit Golden State faced earlier this week. Funny how the suspension may have unlocked something for the Warriors that they wouldn’t have seen otherwise. Golden State shot 50 percent from the floor and 41.2 percent from 3-point land on Sunday as Poole scored 22 points in 26 minutes.
So, would Draymond be comfortable coming off the bench for the remainder of the series?
“If that’s what coach thinks and that’s what works, absolutely,” Green said. “I would have to go watch the film and see how all of those things fare throughout the course of this game. But if it’s right, it’s right and I don’t care. I play the same amount of minutes I normally play and it doesn’t matter. That’s kind of my mindset.”
