Draymond Green Acknowledges Warriors’ Last-Minute Defensive Gameplan in Blowout Loss
Draymond Green confessed following the Golden State Warriors’ staggering 140–88 defeat against the Boston Celtics that the team’s defensive strategy was devised “like 15 minutes” before the game commenced.
Their approach, which seemingly allowed Jaylen Brown to take uncontested shots, spectacularly backfired during what unfolded as a 52-point rout.
Brown emerged as the game’s top scorer, delivering an impressive 29 points in a mere 22 minutes, shooting 11-of-19 from the field, including 5-of-10 from beyond the arc. Notably, he amassed 19 points in the opening quarter alone. Reflecting on the minimal defensive pressure he faced throughout the game, Brown deemed the Warriors’ approach “disrespectful.”
“Thought it was disrespectful, but we took advantage of it,” remarked Brown postgame, as relayed by Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Brown also teased Steve Kerr and the Warriors afterward, humorously indicating he didn’t object to their tactical adjustment.
Discussing the defensive strategy, Green remarked it was intriguing to experiment with but conceded its ineffectiveness.
“I don’t think we really played a full defensive strategy. We implemented our strategy like 15 minutes before we left the locker room,” Green conveyed via Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
“It ain’t work. Oh well, we move on. I thought it was fun to try. I was actually all for it,” added Green, who saw limited playing time with just 14 minutes in the one-sided loss. Sunday’s matchup marked the final encounter between the two teams in the 2023-24 regular season, implying any prospects of revenge for the Warriors must wait until next year, unless there’s an unforeseen rematch akin to their 2022 NBA Finals clash.
