In a candid interview with former NBA star Baron Davis, Draymond Green reflects on the Warriors' recent game against the Mavericks, focusing on Klay Thompson's highly‑anticipated return, Steph Curry's hot fourth‑quarter performance, and his own defensive contributions. Green describes the pre‑game tribute video for Klay, the emotional undercurrents among the trio, and a miscommunication where Klay "ghosted" Steph, which sparked a brief tension. He details key defensive moments, including a crucial block on Daniel Gafford and a high rebounding effort, and emphasizes how the team's chemistry and collective "lock‑in" led to the win. Green also shares his personal mindset, describing himself as an underdog, his desire to stay in peak physical shape, and his pursuit of another Defensive Player of the Year award. The conversation weaves together game analysis, locker‑room dynamics, personal motivation, and future outlook for Green and the Warriors.
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Klay returned. You know, it was a big hype around Klay. The Warriors gave everybody in attendance a captain's hat for Klay's return. You know, I think that was a great tribute, a great tribute video, which he well deserved. But y'all got the dub, right? Steph got hot in the fourth. I know you and Klay and like, man, let's kick that off. What was that like?
Man, Steph was on 10 the whole time. And you knew it right away when they tried to post him up, very first play and he foul played. And that's one of the ones where like, he knew it right away that it was a bad foul. He didn't care. He didn't think anything of it. He was so overzealous to get the stop. And so, and so that play, you know, like, all right, it's Lil. You know what I'm saying? It's a little testy. The very next play, they try to run the same play again and my man's in the corner. So I try to bump him out to Najee Marshall like, yo, bump, bump, I'm here. So I can switch and guard the post. He totally ignored me. So I run all the way over there to bump him out.
He didn't get the script. He didn't get the script.
I have to run all the way back to the other side of the paint to guard my man. Because he won't bump out. And sure enough, you know, he get the next couple stops and he dialed in, man. And I knew, you know, I knew he'd be dialed in. I'm gonna keep it G with you. I watched Klay's interview leading up to it, all of them. I read all the quotes, I watched any interview I could find, and I watched Steph interviews leading up to it. Now mind you, when they asked me the other day at OKC, I totally ignored the question. I'm like, we got an NBA Cup game.
Yeah.
And that's what Thursday is about. I mean, not Thursday, that's what, whatever day of the week it was.
Monday.
You know, it's the NBA season. It's groundhog day.
The next game.
Absolutely. And so I'm like, that's what it is. And I completely ignored the question.
Mm-hmm.
And then I saw Steph's answer, and I saw Klay's answer, and then I saw Steph answer, and it was a little sentimental. And I'm like, "All right." And then I see Steph speak on somewhere different, and it was a little more sentimental. And I go look at Klay's stuff, and I'm like, "All right." So finally yesterday morning, I text Steph, and I text him like, "Hey, listen here, big dog." I need you to be locked in. Whatever it is that you do, whatever it is that you need to do, if that's watch this tribute video.
Mm-hmm.
Before we actually see it go up on the board, whatever it is that you need to do to make sure that your emotions are where they need to be so we dialed in. I said, I'm gonna do the same. And so I hit Double R, Raymond Ritter, and I, and I said, Ray, "I need to see that tribute video." And Ray sent it to me and I watched the tribute video and I was like, "Ah." So I got it out.
Yeah.
And Steph got it. So by the time Steph come in the game last night, he pissed. I didn't call.
Yeah.
Soon as I texted, he called me right away. So I done tried to stir the pot a little bit, baby. I'm stirring the pot.
As you should.
Ain't no, "Oh, my splash brother." Nah. I'm stirring the pot.
We the opps. We the opps.
Hey, so I pissed Steph off. He like, "Yeah, I talked to Klay last night about—" He was like, 'cause Steph was supposed to speak before the game. He like, "Yeah, I called Draymond and told him I'm not speaking. Like, I just need to lock in on the game, so I ain't speaking. And I talked to Klay about it." Tried to check in with Klay on something else and Klay ghosted him. So he got pissed. "And here we go." Here we go.
That's why he was on 10. That's why at the end of the game, ooh. Hey bro, that end of the game, he was, that was almost like the Olympic shot. You feel me?
Man, what?
Like he was on, even after the game, after y'all shook hands, it was like, what was that feeling like? 'Cause you know, it's so much emotions, bro. That, you know, Klay is, Klay is, is, is, legacy brother, almighty, you know what I mean? Hall of Famer. And that y'all connection, you know what I mean? That's the first time, you know, we've been able to see the not connection, you know what I mean?
You know what's crazy? Steph said to me right away, he was like, yo, you know, we had Andre when he left and he came back and like, you know, KD's kind of never really materialized. Like it was so many years in between him playing, actually coming back and playing. Play here from when he left, that it was kind of never really, you know, that. He was like, "But we ain't had nothing like this." Yeah. And I'm like, "You right." You know what I'm saying? So that moment, bro, it was such an incredible feeling because we've done special things together, Klay included. Like, there's none of this without Klay. It's crazy 'cause I was talking to Trav last night and Trav was like, Yo, you and Steph was locked in so crazy. He was like, but it's nuts because Klay was locked in too. He said, when I saw how all three of y'all were able to lock in on that game.
That's how y'all know how y'all won that championship.
He said, it makes so much sense. He said, these people had to deal with three of y'all like that?
Yeah, yeah.
He said, it makes so much sense when I watch how all three of y'all was locked in.
There's levels to it.
Absolutely. And saying that, so knowing that and understanding that, like the night couldn't have gone better and it couldn't have been a better feeling for us. You know, it's us two still holding it down. Still holding the fort down. Holding it down. You know what I'm saying? And to know, you know, like, hey, he ain't with us no more. That felt good. And so like I said, it could not have, the night could not have gone any better. When you talk about NBA script writers, as the people say on Twitter and Instagram.
That was perfect setup.
That script, Klay Thompson played great.
Great.
Incredible. And they lost. That's how we needed tonight to go.
That's it.
And so when Steph had those moments though, when he like locked into the moment and he get to talking his shit.
He gonna start, boop. He gonna start, 'cause Steph came out talking shit. Then Klay hit him with the shimmy. Then Klay caught fire. And then you see Steph over there, he hot, you know what I mean? You know, and then I'm, and back to the intensity, like Klay's intensity up Dallas level. I don't even think the Mavericks seen something like that. You know what I mean? And so like watching how you and Steph were on this side, you know, Moodie got off, you know what I mean? Moodie was ballin', you know, Buddy was ballin', everybody—
Melton was ballin'.
Melton was ballin'. Looney played big, you feel me?
9 offensive rebounds in 14 minutes is crazy.
Come on, dude. Come on, dude. That's a UCLA Bruin right there. And then my dog, my dog, Defensive Player of the Year, we on that track. Let's talk about these stats. 11.7 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks. Even Steph, he talked about it after the game. He said, man, you, you put on a masterclass on the defensive end. I, I would agree to that, especially the block on, uh, Daniel Gafford that saved the big shot. You know what I mean? He was just, he was just, he was the plug. Yeah. You know what I mean? You was the plug all night. Man, just talk about, I wanna like, what was it? You know what I mean? Like you starting to look, you starting to look and feel young again, bro. What is it?
I feel incredible, bro. I'm in the best shape I've been in in years. I'm as focused as I've been in years. Like I'm so dialed in on these moments, man. Like just enjoying. Just enjoying playing the game. You know what I'm saying? Just enjoying going out there and grinding, knowing that we've been counted out, we the underdogs. Like, it feel good to be the underdog again.
Yeah.
You know, my whole life I was the underdog. Being all this high and mighty shit ain't what I'm accustomed to. Like, I've been an underdog my whole life. And so just being back in that role, like, I feel that. You know what I'm saying? I've been in that space. I feel that. I'm locked in. And you know, I had to have a conversation with myself this summer. Just, you know, last couple years I've been kind of like, ah, you know what I'm saying? Like, I know the commentating stuff is around the corner. Like, you know, I wanna transition into some of that as I'm done.
Yeah.
You know, you start looking at all, and I'm like, man, I start focusing so much on that stuff.
Yep.
To where basketball is kind of almost put on the back burner. I flipped that. You know what I'm saying? Like, and this summer I'm locked in and I'm like, you know what? I don't know if it's 1 year, if it's 2 years, if it's 3 years, if it's 5.
Oh man.
I don't know, but I actually don't care.
Right.
What I do know is whether it's 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, I will be in tip-top shape for each and every last one of 'em. And I'm gonna be dialed in on the task at hand and enjoying this game that we've been playing since kids.
Totally.
But it's opportunity that we wanted since kids.
Yep.
That's where my mind is. And so to be like, I got goals, but I really want that Defensive Player of the Year. You know what I'm saying? Like CP, CP being here last year and having 10 All-Defense teams and like 8 First Team, I'm like, dang, man, I still got more to do. You know what I'm saying? I still got more to get. And that's how I'm feeling, bro. I'm locked in. And so, you know, to get that block on Gafford in that moment, A, it was literally very reminiscent of Kyrie's drive and Kyrie had to drop off to him last year.
Yeah.
Same exact play. This time it was Luka got to drop off. Come on. Like, but them the plays where down the stretch, Steph making them shots. Like, that's what he do. Me making them plays, that's what I do. Like that, you know, I gotta do my part on that side so that he can do his part on the other side.
Yeah.
And that's where I'm at with it, bro.
Man, you can just tell it's a different mentality, you know what I mean? And then just even talking how we talk every day, it's like you choosing to make that a moment with Klay, Right. That's what you need. You choosing to make that a Boston moment. The OKC moment. Like, it's almost like you re-energizing, you playing like, shit, man, if this my last game, they gonna get Draymond Green. They gonna get the best version of Draymond Green that the league seen. And that is what the team needs, bro. That is like, and the points. You feel what I'm saying? You know how I am about these points. I like the 11, you feel? We gotta get them points too, you feel me? But it was a big—
And it's making defenses play me a totally different way.
They are. You know what I'm saying?
Yeah. They're, I can tell by the way they guard me, they're accounting for that now. It ain't just like, oh, he make it. They're now like, oh, he's—
They gotta get there, yeah.
Yeah, so.
Because you getting shots in rhythm, and it's in offensive rhythm, it's in offensive flow. You know what I mean? And so them 6 assists, you know what I mean? That's another 12 points, you know, 18 points depending on how many threes. So that's what I'm saying. Like, I like the aggression because now like you a playmaker, dog.
Always.
Facts.
You know what I mean?
You always been a playmaker. So when you out there, And I see you doing that and looking for your shot and making plays. I'm like, "Okay, we, yeah, we gonna have a good night. We in good company." Yeah, no, for sure.
