clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Draymond Green on his Flagrant 2: “Tonight was probably a reputation thing”

Postgame Roundup: See what the Warriors had to say following their win against the Grizzlies on Sunday afternoon.

By Ricko Mendoza
/ new
Golden State Warriors v Memphis Grizzlies - Game One Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images

The Golden State Warriors beat the Memphis Grizzlies by a score of 117-116 in a thrilling Game 1 matchup to start the Western Conference Semifinals. Highlight plays, great execution on both sides of the floor, and trash talking — this game had everything that makes playoff basketball great. Unfortunately, the referees became the story of this one as fouls were a problem for both teams, including the most significant call of the game — a Flagrant 2 on Draymond Green that ejected him near the end of the first half. Despite this, the Warriors played inspired basketball and stormed back in the second half as the Dubs pulled away with the narrow victory.

Here are some of the takeaways from the Warriors postgame pressers:

Draymond Green’s Flagrant 2

The big storyline from this game was the controversial Flagrant 2 called on Draymond Green at the end of the first half. Head coach Steve Kerr did not go after the refs during his postgame presser, and instead decided to briefly mention it and move on. The same could be said for the rest of the Warriors players, except for Draymond Green who discussed the foul call on his podcast shortly after the game.

Here is the official referee explanation as well as thoughts from both players and coaches on the play:

Steve Kerr Discusses the Game

Kerr came into this game with a clear defensive plan to slow down Grizzlies’ guard Ja Morant. Kerr inserted Gary Payton II into the starting lineup to bolster their point of attack defense and forced Morant to shoot threes by going under every screen. Morant was still amazing as he finished the game with 34 points, 10 assists, and 9 rebounds, but Kerr stuck to the game plan, and it all worked out in the end.

Kerr has said throughout his postseason pressers that possessions are the key stat for winning playoff games. The Warriors came up big in this department as they outrebounded the Grizzlies 51-47 despite playing small for almost the entire game. This was another highlight for Kerr as he praised his team’s hustle and heart on the boards.

Here’s Kerr’s discussing the game:

Warriors Players Discuss the Game

With Draymond Green ejected early, the Warriors had to rely on a super-charged offense to win the game. Kerr started the second half with Poole in the lineup and that’s when the offense took off. Poole led the team in scoring with 31 points including 9 assists and 8 rebounds. Second on the team in scoring was Stephen Curry who finished the game with 24 points, 4 assists, and 3 rebounds. Although Klay Thompson uncharacteristically missed two-straight free throws down the stretch, he more than made up for it by hitting the go-ahead three late in the 4th quarter. Overall, the Splash Brothers had an off-night from the three-point line, but their championship competitiveness allowed them to impact the game in other ways especially on defense where both Curry and Thompson had key stops on Morant in the closing minutes of the game.

Here’s what the Warriors players had to say after the game:

Quote of the Night

The quotes of the night belongs to players on both teams. Postseason basketball is supposed to be intense and that was evident by all the trash talk that was said during and after the game. Here’s some of that trash talk that was on display on Sunday.

Recap

With this win, the Warriors take an early 1-0 series lead and seize control of home court. Up next, Golden State will attempt to continue this momentum on Tuesday night for Game 2 in Memphis.

More From Golden State Of Mind

Loading comments...

Sign up for the newsletter Sign up for the Golden State of Mind Daily Roundup newsletter!

A daily roundup of Golden State Warriors news from Golden State of Mind