Dray breaks down Warriors win over Suns & Joel Embiid closing MVP gap w/ Jokic | Draymond Green Show

What's up everybody? Welcome back to the Draymond Green Show. It is Tuesday morning, a big win last night versus the Phoenix Suns. Uh, that puts us at 2 big wins in a row against 2 of the better teams in the league. Uh, Milwaukee Bucks at home and the Phoenix Suns at home. Quite frankly, I think people probably have grown to expect us to win those games at home regardless of who they're against because we have an incredible record at home. Uh, but on the road has been a different story. We will get into that. Uh, we will talk Warriors-Suns game, uh, which was an incredible game, fun game for us. Uh, we're also going to talk about, uh, what's been going around lately, which is, I know Stephen A said something about it a couple of days ago, about Joel Embiid in the MVP race. Um, against Joker. That's an interesting topic. And I think that that has heated it up a bit or tilted a bit, but like I said, we'll get into that. And then also the news that came out a couple days ago as well, which is the NBA may be adding a, or the NBA and NBPA, uh, may be reaching an agreement on adding a certain amount of games played for, um, the MVP award or major awards. And I have quite the perspective on that one. So. The NBA stretch run is upon us. Huge matchups across the league as my dubs and I battle with the teams in the West for playoff position. Gonna be a lot of fun on TV, but what if you could actually be at some of these games? For last-minute amazing deals on tickets, not just the Dubs, but your favorite NBA team, check out GameTime, the fastest-growing ticketing app in the US. And it doesn't stop with the NBA. GameTime has tickets to the NHL, NCAA basketball games, even concert and comedy shows too. So if you're in Phoenix and wanna see KD try to make a run with the Suns, GameTime has your seats. If you're in Boston and hoping to see Jayson Tatum and the Celtics work their way to the Finals again, GameTime has your seats. Or you wanna see Chris Rock anytime soon, download the GameTime app and redeem code GREEN for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Again, download the GameTime app and enter code GREEN. That's G-R-E-E-N for $20 off. $10 off no matter where you live. Get out and have some fun this week. Download GameTime today. Last minute tickets, lowest price guaranteed. Let's get right into it. First Warriors-Suns game. Klay Thompson got off to a huge start, huge start in the first half. 33 points in the first half, which was absolutely great. You know, we were able to, I think we closed the first quarter up 22 points or something like that, which was, Good. And obviously, you know, when you go up big like that to start a game, team's usually gonna make a run. You like to hope that they'll never cut the lead to 2, or, which in this case the Suns did, but they're gonna make a run. And this is the NBA. As you've seen this year, no lead is safe. And so I was actually very satisfied and impressed with how we responded. You know, once they cut it to 2, we were able to push the lead back to 10 Got it to 12, but ended up going into the fourth quarter up 10, which I thought was really big. You know, when you go on a run like that, sparked by Devin Booker for them, he was great in the third quarter. When you close a lead like that, oftentimes you get there and, you know, when it's such a big lead like it was, you run outta gas. You know, it takes so much for you to climb back into it. And quite frankly, their— Yeah. You know, it's one thing if you like get to the fourth quarter and you close it to 2 because you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. You close it to 2 in the third quarter and you look up, you've expended so much energy and yet there's another 12 minutes to play. And sometimes that alone, just the thought of that alone can knock you out. And quite frankly, I don't think it did that to the Suns. I thought— Draymond Green. Guys responded well defensively and offensively. Steph got to the free throw line a couple times. Once they cut the lead to 2, he got to the free throw line 2 possessions in a row, which you get to the free throw line, it slows the game down. It allows you to set your defense, you know, and then obviously with a great free throw shooter like Steph, you know, you can, you can build on that. And sure enough, we did. And I thought that was absolutely great. I see a lot of people are talking about the play where Steph had Chris Paul on the wing slash corner, a little below the break. For those of you who don't know what below the break is, so if you ever look at an NBA 3-point line from the corner, it goes up like this and then there's like this bend and it starts to go arc around. That bend is called the break. And so Steph had CP below the break. He hit him with a couple moves and got an amazing and one. And if you read his lips, He got up and he said, "This ain't 2014 no more." I was on the bench at that point and I started talking to guys on the bench like, "Do y'all realize what he just said?" Like you can't listen to rap music and not understand the bars. Like if you gonna listen to rap in order to like really enjoy it, you gotta understand the bars. And oftentimes, you know, you get people listening to beats and they like, "Oh, I rock with this song." There's bars. Like, talk to an artist and see how much they appreciate you rocking to the beat that they sung, or if they appreciate you saying, "Wow, that's a bar." Like, you appreciate the bars. And I appreciated the bar by Steph Curry because you gotta dig into that comment. "This is not 2014 anymore." That's pretty much saying the last time you were better than me was 2014. That's 9 years ago. Like, this haven't been a debate since 2014. 9 years ago. That's almost a decade. That's a bar. So I just hope, um, you know, those that enjoy that part of the game, which I do, that you appreciated that bar. Because that was indeed a bar. Obviously, uh, Kevin Durant lists Phoenix Suns team, you know, when they get KD back, that obviously makes any game tougher. But, you know, and just overall, kind of dissecting or examining or whatever word you choose to use the Phoenix Suns. You have to wonder if the lack of games played together is going to come back and bite you towards the end of the season. KD, who's expected to be out. At least 3 weeks. By the time he gets back, what, there's a week left in the season, week and a half left in the season, and then you're going into the playoffs. You always hope to have that time to build the chemistry. I think they've probably played 3 or 4 games together. And so in saying that, you put great players on the floor and oftentimes they figure it out. If you remember back to our season last year, we didn't play much together at all. Once Klay got back from the injury, I went out. Once I got back, Steph went out. So we didn't really have a chance to play together at all until starting game 1 of the NBA playoffs. And obviously we figured it out and won a championship. So it's not like it's impossible, but it is hard. And then also you're talking guys who've played together for 11 years or 10 years at that point, that chemistry is also different. And so we'll see, that's, that's a tough one to get over, but it's obviously nothing you can do about it. But like I said, they have great players and great players figure it out and make a way. So. We'll see what happens. And I think that's something for you all to watch for down the stretch with the Phoenix Suns. The Dubs closed out this home stand with great wins. Now we gotta go on the road where we've lost 8 in a row. And I think this time, you know, we're having the discussion like you're primed and ready for, you're primed and ready for the road. Like you're talking about it, you're having a discussion. What do we need to do? And I think that's important. So, uh, looking forward to this road trip. I think this will be a good road trip for us, and it's important that it is a good road trip for us. If you paying any attention to the standings, we're right there at 36 and 33 with the Clippers. So this next game is huge going to LA, uh, tied up in the standings. It's a big game for us. So, gotta make sure we lock in and you want to start the road trip off right. And that'll be big for us. And saying that, let's get into Joel Embiid slash Nikola Jokic, uh, MVP race. Yeah. I said the last time I spoke about the MVP race that guys still had work to do, that it has not been decided, and that if it has been decided, it's a little biased or a little early in it. When I say a little biased, I'm not saying biased to no race because I know that's been a big discussion. I am not discussing that at all, or implying that at all. What I'm talking about is, I just don't think there's been enough separation between anyone at that point to say, oh, it's this guy or it's that guy. Now in saying that, since we've last discussed that, Joel Embiid has been on a tear. And the Nuggets have been sliding. And so you look at the Nuggets sliding, um, just last night they lost to Brooklyn, or two nights ago they lost to Brooklyn, um, at home. And— Yeah. They've been kind of losing a little bit as of late. Philly's been winning a little bit as of late. Joel's been playing great all year, but also as of late, 39 here, 39 there, uh, 37. And he's willing his team to win. I think that has to account for something. So in my MVP race with 13 games to go, or however many games these teams got, I think Joel has started to create a little separation now. Yeah. In saying that, it's still super close, so that can still change. But I think right now, when the next MVP ladder comes out, if it comes out within the next week or so and Joel continues this, Joel gotta take that number 1 spot because I think he's been playing that way, his team's been winning. And then also, like I said, if you look at the Nuggets, they've had a little slippage, they've lost a few games, and that matters. That matters in this tight MVP race because you have to take the whole body of work. I just can't be a numbers thing. Um, you have to take the whole body of work and how they're contributing and impacting their team. So I think that is one that we have to continue to watch. But if you ask me, Joel has definitely created a tad bit of separation. Uh, if the season ended today, I think he's created a tad bit of separation. But in saying that, you have to change the mind of voters and voters the last 2 years have favored Jokic. And he's won it twice. And so you have to change that mindset of voters. And that's a tough thing to do in changing anyone's mind about anything. So we'll see how that plays out down the stretch. But again, I got Joel as the front runner right now by a small margin. Before we get outta here, there was news that came out about CBA negotiations where the NBA and the NBA Players Association, or the National Basketball Players Association, NBPA, have discussed a minimum amount of games to win major awards. Now, I have a perspective on this because I am someone who lost a Defensive Player of the Year award to Kawhi, who played 48 games that year. Yeah. Of the year, and I was pissed. Number one, I thought I hands down won it, and Kawhi is an incredible defender, especially at that point in his career. So I'm taking nothing from Kawhi as a defender, but I was incredible that year. And I won the first place votes. Like, it was crazy. I had the most first place votes, and then I had some reporters not even vote for me. Top 3, which was crazy in itself. Like, that does not make sense. You lead in first place votes, but some voters don't even have you on their ballot. And that's why I always say, like, there needs to be a better system put in place for these awards in general. Not just adding a certain amount of games, but like, these awards mean too much to people, legacies to people, careers, and most importantly, to people's contracts. Yeah. That to have someone that can vote and don't, quite frankly, I think a lot of people don't understand the game of basketball. Even some of those that write stories to you and that speak to you, I just don't think they really know the game. And I stand on that. And so you have some people that don't know the game voting. You have some people that may have a personal vendetta towards you that votes. Like, I think it's just like to have people that carry biases. Like you can read stuff that carry bias in this voting on these awards, by certain biases. I think it's just, I think it's crazy. You know, you can decide whether someone makes 30 extra million dollars and I think that's insane. So as you know, I have a whole problem with the whole voting thing anyway. Now in saying that, like I said, I am someone who was impacted by this. Should a, well, should an amount of games be added for these awards? I think that's twofold. I think, like I said, as someone who's been impacted by that, I understand it. But should a certain penalty be added to these teams who are tanking for draft picks? Added to these teams when they start sitting their guys towards the end of the season to lose games? So certain penalties be added then. And don't tell me, oh, the lottery was changed to go, you know, to negate that and you don't get as many odds. Listen, 15% odds, it still beats 3 any day. So that hasn't been a fix. Teams are still tanking. These teams been in the Wemba Nyama sweepstakes all season. They're still tanking. So. I'm sorry. You can't have it both ways. It gotta be twofold now. Like you got, you say, oh, these guys are sitting out this game or that game. And you got teams that do that for draft positioning. So my hope is that the NBA player, the National Basketball Players Association, NBPA, is raising that. Like it can't just be versus the players. Like, no, it has to be, Both ways. Can't have it one way. So that's kind of my take on that. Do I think it should be added? If you're asking for my opinion, I think it matters. Like, you can't play 50 games and win MVP 'cause you were so strong in those 50. Like, a huge part of the season is, or a huge part of the NBA is the season, the grind of the season and pushing through that. And so, So I get it. Like I said, as someone who's affected by it, I understand. But my only thing would be is if we're adding that for the players, the same thing has to be added for these teams that are tanking. That's it. That's a wrap on this episode of the Draymond Green Show. Looking forward to, well, obviously, no, we have a guest interview. Later this week. All-Star Utah Jazz, All-Star Lowry marketing. I hope all of you check that episode out. It was actually a very incredible episode. Something I just hit on or mentioned, which is everyone's talking about the MVP racing. I had mentioned something a couple weeks ago about Europeans not being held to the same standards as American players after Stephen A's list that he had put out. And we discussed that, and I gave you my opinion on that. Well, I discussed that with Lowry, and he had an opinion, and he had some gems, and he gave me a perspective that I didn't have. And it was great to have a European guy on here, um, who kind of sees it through, uh, the lens of a European player. I thought that was absolutely incredible. And like I said, he gave some gems, so make sure y'all check that out. It was an absolutely incredible episode. Also talked about some different things, just, uh, his emergence as an all-star in Utah. And you know, his road there is absolutely incredible. Interview, I enjoyed it. I hope you all enjoy it. Check it out later this week. But that's a wrap from this episode of the Draymond Green Show. Till next time, peace. What's up everybody? It's Draymond Green. Make sure you subscribe to the Volumes YouTube channel below so you don't miss any more of this great content going forward.