The Golden State Warriors are in a tough spot. The reigning champions have no margin for error in the 2023 NBA playoffs, since the Los Angeles Lakers are leading the Conference semifinal series by 3-1.
Steve Kerr‘s team welcomes LeBron James and company to the Chase Center on Wednesday night aiming to survive, but the outlook is not encouraging. Even if they win, the Dubs will still be just one loss away from going home.
Even so, Draymond Green still has high confidence in his team. On the latest episode of his podcast, the Warriors big man put all the pressure on the opponents while reminding everyone they still have Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
Draymond Green says the pressure is on the Lakers
“Guess what, it’s the first of four. Not the first of three. Whether it’s 3-1, whether it’s 3-0, don’t matter. There’s a reason it’s a seven-game series — it’s the first of four,” Green said, as quoted by Bleacher Report. “… Every game won in the series (from this point on) flips the pressure to the other team. … We’ve been here before and we know what it takes. The goal is to win one game. You win one game, all the pressure flips. You go back to Crypto 3-2, (it) essentially puts them in a must-win situation. No one wants to go on the road for a Game 7. Must-win situations are a little different than any other game.
“We got nothing to lose,” he added. “Down 3-1, you come out swinging. … Klay will play better. I have no doubt in my mind I’ll play better. Steph had an incredible game; expect more of the same or even more from him.
“… I’m looking forward to tomorrow, taking this thing 3-2 and heading back to LA. It will be a fun time — a really fun time. You gotta love these moments. You cannot only be good when it’s good. I’ve told you before, we call those frontrunners. Frontrunners we are not. So, you take it in the chin, you give them their credit, and you bounce back. And that’s what we will do. And it will be fun doing it.”
Well, Green’s mindset makes perfect sense. If he wouldn’t believe they can turn it around, it would be pointless to even show up to the game. Though the Lakers are just one step away from the next round, there’s still a chance the Warriors bounce back.