Steph takes shot at NBA’s Draymond suspension after Game 3 win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
The Warriors were not happy that the NBA suspended Draymond Green for Game 3 of their first-round NBA playoff series against the Kings, and the defending NBA champions used it as fuel for a 114-97 win Thursday night at Chase Center.
After the win that cut the Kings’ series lead to 2-1, Curry joined TNT’s postgame show and was asked about the Warriors’ mindset the last few days and Green’s motivational speech to the team during Wednesday’s practice.
“Like you said, there’s a lot of noise and distractions around the series,” Curry told Ernie Johnson. “Obviously losing both games up there was a tough way to start. Wanted to come home with some good focus and then to get that call that he’s suspended, it was a tough blow, but yesterday at practice, we had really good energy, understanding what the mission was to understand we couldn’t change anything about the decision that we knew was wrong, but that if we could come out and win tonight, it changes the momentum of the series and it gives us an opportunity to just make it about basketball.
“And that was Draymond’s message the whole time, was ‘Make the right adjustments, come with the right energy, protect our home court.’ When he gets back on Sunday, we got to capitalize on that, try to win and even up this series. We did what we’re supposed to do. They said Draymond’s got a history, so we do. So we know how to bounce back.”
At the end of his answer, Curry referenced the NBA’s ruling on Green’s suspension in which they considered his history of unsportsmanlike acts when deciding to discipline the Warriors’ forward for stomping on the chest of Kings center Domantas Sabonis at the end of Game 2 on Monday night.
While Green has a long track record of flagrant foul-worthy incidents, the Warriors have overcome a lot of adversity during their six NBA Finals runs over the previous eight seasons.
Although this was the first time Curry and the Warriors faced an 0-2 series deficit, they’ve come back before, most notably during the 2016 Western Conference Finals when they erased a 3-1 series deficit against the Oklahoma City Thunder before winning three straight to advance to the NBA Finals.
Last year, the Warriors lost Game 1 of the NBA Finals at home to the Boston Celtics and faced a 2-1 series deficit heading into Game 4 at TD Garden. Rather than fold, Curry had one of his most iconic performances to level the series. From there, Golden State won the next two games to capture its fourth championship in eight seasons.
The Warriors overcame the absence of Green — and a sick Gary Payton II — to soundly beat the Kings on Thursday night, and with Draymond back in the lineup Sunday for Game 4, they have a chance to even the series before it shifts back to Sacramento for Game 5 next Wednesday.
RELATED: NBA’s treatment of Draymond another case of subjective discipline
History hurt the Warriors with Green’s suspension, but it could benefit them over the next seven-10 days if they manage to beat the Kings in the best-of-seven first-round series.