In three words, Draymond Green explains reason for Warriors’ Game 3 loss
to Lakers
Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green was short, but clear for reason
why they lost to Lakers in Game 3
>Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green (23) speaks with NBA referee
Bill Kennedy during the third quarter of Game 3 of the NBA basketball
Western Conference semifinal playoffs at Crypto.com Arena in Los
Angeles, Calif., on Saturday, May 6, 2023. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area
News Group)
By SHAYNA RUBIN | srubin@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: May 7, 2023 at 4:45 a.m. | UPDATED: May 8, 2023 at 6:48 a.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2023/05/07/in-three-words-draymond-green-explains-reason-for-warriors-game-3-loss-to-lakers/

LOS ANGELES — Draymond Green doesn’t usually hold back. Even after a
loss, he’ll take a deep dive into what went wrong and often detail his
own mistakes in the game’s low points.

But Green was short, and muttered only a few words following the
Warriors 127-97 drubbing by the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of the
Western Conference Semifinals at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday night. The
game was lost in a brutal second quarter in which a Warriors’ 11-point
lead flipped to an 11-point deficit by the next quarter.

The Lakers took 15 free throws in the second quarter. That prompted
Green’s three-word reason for their loss.

“The game stopped,” Green said.

“They on the free throw line every time.”

Asked if he was satisfied with how the game was officiated, Green said:
“It is what it is. The game’s over now. Don’t matter if I’m satisfied.”

What does watching the Lakers go to the line continually do to the team
mentally?

“It’s frustrating.”

Green’s answers might’ve been short, but hit right on what could
determine this series.

The Lakers’ two wins came with a massive disparity in free throw
attempts taken between teams. The Lakers took 37 free throws to the
Warriors’ 17 on Saturday and 29 to the Warriors’ 6 in Game 1. The Lakers
took 17 free throws to the Warriors’ 16 in Golden State’s Game 2 win.

Plenty of other factors contributed to the Warriors’ Game 3 loss. They
turned the ball over 19 times, including nine in the costly second
quarter. A 39.6 percent shooting clip from the field marked just the
second time they’ve shot under 40 percent in these playoffs (the other
was Game 6 against the Kings). The Big 3 of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson
and Green finished minus-26, minus-23 and minus-27, respectively.

Poor shooting nights and turnover woes stem from the free throw game.

Green said problems cropped up when the game stopped — that’s because
the Warriors can best succeed if the game keeps moving. The Lakers, in
particular, have a spotty transition defense that the Warriors can feast
on if they’re forcing turnovers and pick up the pace off misses — and
even makes.

When the game stopped, the Warriors lost their flow. Under the playoff
lights, they also lost their composure. Meltdowns were a common thread
through the Warriors’ mediocre stretches in the regular season; Green
would sometimes chide his team for lacking the mental toughness required
to survive the target on their and conquer opposing teams’ comebacks.

At the worst time, the Warriors’ worst habits crept back in. And the
Lakers have just the move to make that habit kick in.

All that time the Lakers spent at the free throw line not only added 28
points to their total score, but pushed Golden State into the mud.
Frustrated, they collected three technical fouls and Moses Moody a
Flagrant 1 foul, all in that second quarter.

“We lost our poise,” coach Steve Kerr said. “Got to be more poised than
we were.”

Green was at the center of the foul drama. Crucial to the Warriors
success is his ability to contain towering center Anthony Davis without
fouling. Green held him to 11 points on 5-of-11 shooting and five free
throws in their Game 2 win. But, similar to Game 1, Green played just 23
minutes in Game 3 as he racked up three fouls before the half. Three of
Green’s total five personal fouls were blocks on Davis, including two
that underwent a coach’s challenge.

Los Angeles challenged a called offensive foul that was overturned to a
blocking foul and Kerr challenged a called blocking foul that was
unsuccessful.

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“You don’t really get an explanation these days,” Green said. “I won’t
adapt, I will keep playing the same defense I’ve played for 11 years.”

The Warriors will need Green to play his style of defense in Game 4, the
Lakers now up 2-1. No matter how the referees call it, he’s one of few
defenders that can limit Davis. How he and the Warriors can toe the line
and avoid a whistle, though, could determine everything.

--
Shayna Rubin | General Assignment Sports Reporter
Shayna Rubin is a Bay Area News Group sports reporter for The Mercury
News and East Bay Times. She covered the Oakland A's from 2019 to 2021
and, most recently, the Golden State Warriors' championship run in 2022.
Shayna is a San Francisco native. She is a graduate of San Francisco
State University with a BA degree in journalism and a MA degree in
broadcasting and electronic communication arts.