Will the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Golden State Warriors have another big shootout tonight in Game 4 at 9PM ET?
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That is just about as much noise, emotion and drama as any two teams could bear, and it’s all packed into Game 4 at Chesapeake Arena.
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, right, and forward Draymond Green (23) dispute a flagrant foul call on Green in the first half in Game 3 against the Oklahoma City Thunder of the NBA basketball Western Conference finals in Oklahoma City, Sunday, May 22, 2016.
Green is just uniquely not suited to play against this Thunder team.
If he adjusts his style of play, and begins over-thinking things or playing timidly, he won’t be as effective.
Kerr knows Green might have made himself a target for the officials.
The NBA’s regular season leader in plus/minus rating is suddenly making his team dramatically worse when he’s on the floor.
The Raptors, who came in with momentum and confidence after winning Games 3 and 4, left Quicken Loans Arena shaken and one loss from having their deepest playoff run stopped.
“Stuff like that happens all the time”, Kerr said.
The All-Star forward does hold up his hands and retract his legs, as if to say, “Whoops”, although as with everything else involving Green in recent days, that could be interpreted as him covering his own behind.
When the Lakers upset the Warriors on March 6, Kobe told the media that Green’s the one who has to “keep his finger on the nerve” of the team.
With the crowd booing loudly every time Green touched the ball, he couldn’t make plays to shut Thunder fans up. “I would be lying to you if I wasn’t”.
These looked more like the Cavaliers who opened the postseason with 10 straight wins, obliterated the Raptors by a combined 50 points in Games 1 and 2 and given a chance to beat whomever survived in the West.
“That’s what was frustrating to me”, he said. “I’m just going to be me and the game will play out how it plays out”.
It will take Green bouncing back from his frightful Game 3; if anybody can absorb the rage of 18,000 fans and use it as fuel, it’s Green, but this is now at an emotional apex. He scored 12 points, with 15 rebounds and five assists.
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After dropping another game to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night, the Warriors find themselves down 3-1, their backs against the wall. I think our energy goes as my energy goes.
