Keys to Timberwolves-Suns, Lakers-Nuggets, Knicks-76ers | Draymond Green x 2024 NBA Playoffs

Welcome to the brand new Draymond Green Show YouTube channel. Hit subscribe so you don't miss out on any of our content. What's up everybody? Welcome back to the Draymond Green Show. As I said to you all before, um, we'll be checking in with you guys throughout the playoffs, giving you, uh, my opinion on some of these games, some, some stuff to look for, different matchups that could be exciting, uh, the games within the game. So make sure you keep tapping in here. Also make sure you are subscribed to our YouTube channel as I may go live during the game. You can watch me watch a game. You can get my thoughts, my natural thoughts on the game, whatever that is. So just make sure that y'all locked in, tap into that. Week 1 of the playoffs, I thought it was very interesting and boring that no series started. What do I mean by no series started? As you know, there's an old cliché, a series doesn't start until someone goes and win on the road. In all 8 home games, the home team won, which sucked. Now, ironically, a couple of those home teams were not favorites. That is the Los Angeles Clippers, who were without Kawhi Leonard and still beat the Dallas Mavericks pretty good. And then also you had the Milwaukee Bucks who beat the Pacers without Giannis Antetokounmpo. And that one I think is very interesting. So we will get into that a bit. But as I said, no series has really started because no home teams won. So we had Anthony Edwards over the Phoenix Suns and— Well, Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves over the Phoenix Suns. And I said something to you all about that series last week that I think will need to happen. And when I walked away from that game the other day, what I said to you all is going to need to happen more.

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So we're going to get a little further into that. Uh, everyone is talking about the moment where Ant Edwards had with KD. He had him on the left wing, sized him up, hit the Tracy in his face off the dribble, which gave them a sizable lead. I think it put them up 18 at that point, 15 or 18 at that point. And Ant was talking. Ant had everything to say that he'd been having to say. And that was a moment. That was a very interesting moment because—

Yeah.

As I told you all, I think Anthony Edwards is poised to be that next guy. He wanna be that next guy. He telling you he that next guy and he going to play like he that next guy. And I think it's something special to say when you are as good or when you are good enough to say, I'm better than you and y'all old and all of the things that Anthony Edwards says. And then he goes out and prove them. Now, I saw something the other day that made me, like, I kind of really been all in on Anthony Edwards since day one. Thought he was a special talent since day one. When I say day one, I'm going back post or, you know, pre-draft. Thought he was special. Going to Klutch Pro Day, I remember that first year Klutch ever did their own, their pro day on TV. Anthony Edwards. Um, so I personally been high on Anthony Edwards, but Anthony Edwards did something yesterday or two days ago, and it had absolutely nothing to do with the game. A little bit to do with the game, but I, I always like to watch the game within the game, and that is what's going on around the series. What are guys saying in their in their press conferences. Um, you know, uh, what are guys posting? What's the game around the game? And the game around the game the other day for me that Anthony Edwards did that you just don't see young guys do that ain't ready for to take that next step, man. Anthony Edwards posted on his Instagram story, 15 more. 15 more. That was the caption. 15 more. Why is that interesting? Because half of y'all favorite players that's young and y'all think ready to take that next step don't even realize that you need 16 wins for a championship. We used to always talk about when building these championship roster, you need a mix of 82-game players and 16-game players. Mm-hmm. 82-game players, you got a regular season, 82 games is super long. A lot of nights that guys are just, when you're playing for a championship year in and year out, a lot of nights that guys are just tired, don't have it because it's the same thing over and over again. You need some 82-night guys that's gonna step up for you on those nights, that can give it to you those nights. But those 82-night guys, when they're specifically an 82-night guy, they don't play in the playoffs. They can't play in the playoffs. Not ready for the playoffs. And there's a lot of guys out there, some of you on some of your favorite teams, that's 82-night guys and now they in the 16, 16-game time. They in the 16 and they don't know what to do. Some of your favorite players. Draymond Green. Some of the star players on this team are 82-night guys, not necessarily 16. And so Anthony Edwards said 15 more. I said, "Oh, he different." Because he been in Minnesota rottin', right? Like Minnesota has not had a good go at it for years and they've turned that around. But for him to already be thinking like, "Oh, 15 more." Man, that mean these boys been talking about winning a championship. And he's standing on that. 15 more after game 1. He been paying attention. That mean he been watching year after year guys compete for championships saying, "I wanna do that." Some of y'all favorite players, these young guys that y'all like, don't even watch basketball. That mean he been watching the game within the game. Jimmy Butler post 15 more. You got guys post that like that, that been competing for championships. He been watching the game within the game. So man, the stock is high on Ant-Man right now, and you should be buying. You should be buying stock in Ant-Man, 'cause it is— sometimes you— there's an old saying, you buy low and sell high. Sometimes you miss the boat and you have to buy high. It ain't as high as it's gonna get on Ant-Man right now, but it should be high. Still get in now because this is still— Ant-Man is different and he carrying them boys. Now I saw something in that series that I think is interesting. As I told you all, Kevin Durant is going to have to guard Anthony Edwards, not Karl-Anthony Towns. Anthony Edwards is also— oh, remember I talked about the game within the game that Anthony Edwards is playing? I saw an interview where Anthony Edwards said Karl-Anthony Towns is the most important player in the series. Karl-Anthony Towns is going to make sure we win. I'm here to tell y'all Karl-Anthony Towns is not the most important player in the series. Kyle Anthony Towns is an important player, but Anthony Edwards is the most important player in the series for the Timberwolves. Kyle Anthony Towns could have still been out. Anthony Edwards still was going to be doing this, make it a lot harder for them to beat the Phoenix Suns with Kyle Anthony Towns out. But Anthony Edwards is the man. However, Anthony Edwards telling y'all in the meeting, yo, he the media, yo, he the guy, go over there and focus on him. So what does the Phoenix Suns do? They come out the gate with Kevin Durant on Karl-Anthony Towns. As I told y'all before, Brad Beal is a good defender. Brad Beal sit down, check, he guard, he compete. Like, I love that. And this will go for some other guys that we gonna talk about in this segment, but it's a reason guys start putting long wings on these guards. The shot-making ability is too crazy. This ain't 2000, this ain't 1984, this ain't the '80s and '90s where guys were great, don't get me wrong, but the shot-making ability today is way more complex than it used to be. And that's why guys start putting it The shot, the shot creating ability, I should say, is way more complex than the shot making ability. It's top tier. And that's why guys start putting long wings with length on these guards. And that is why you need Kevin Durant. Now, however, KD is in year 17, 18, something like that. And so what happens is you still see like KD, Bron, these guys, Steph, Steph different. Steph is smaller, not carrying as much weight. Limbs is different. You see these guys still playing at an insane level, which they are. But once you get to that age, you can only do it in spurts. A la Damian Lillard last night. Great first half. Can give you that in spurts, which we'll talk about that as well. But so, With KD, can't give you that 48 minutes straight every night. Although it helps during the playoffs that you get those days in between, it's impossible. Both ends of the floor. KD, the best defender on that team and the best offensive player, one of the best offensive players we ever seen. Yes, Devin Booker's a great offensive player, like top tier. Mm-hmm. Brad Bill, great scorer his whole career. But KD is just different. KD is 7 feet. We've seen this movie before. What the Phoenix Suns are gonna have to do is they're gonna have to play KD on Anthony Edwards the entire series. That has to be his matchup. And what Phoenix has to do is they have to rely on Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, Grayson Allen. You gonna have to hit some shots. And they gonna have to rely on those guys to carry the load offensively. Because to ask Kevin to go try to lock up Anthony Edwards and then go carry the load on the offensive end, he in year 18 and ain't happening every night. He might give you that one night, two nights of a series, but he can't give you that every night because the years are getting up there, man. The legs is different. And what you need Kevin Durant for is to say, K, we need you to go stop him. We need you to go stop him. Don't worry about the offensive end. If you get some stuff in the flow on the offensive end, great. I know this is like, oh man, that's Kevin Durant. You should never tell him. But K capable of doing that defensively. And Devin Booker capable of carrying the load offensively. So is Bradley Beal. Grayson Allen just got that extension. He got to make these shots in the playoffs now. Can't just be an 82-game player. Gotta be 16.

16.

Gotta be 16. If I'm not mistaken, Grayson Allen won a championship before. I'm not certain on that. I thought he won with Milwaukee Bucks. I could be wrong. However, the kid's a winner. Went to Duke, played in Milwaukee for years, meaningful years. Kid's a winner. You gotta play these 16. You gotta hit shots, especially this series. K, if you get stuff in the flow, cool. But we not about to depend on Kevin Durant on the offensive end. We need him to lock down defensively tonight. That's the role we need in this series. So when I said that at the beginning of the series, I still think that's true. And you know what? It ain't Karl-Anthony Towns that's winning you this series, it's Anthony Edwards. And you need to go put Kevin Durant there. So that's Minnesota. Uh, the New York Knicks take the Philadelphia 76ers in a game where Joel Embiid in 37 minutes was +14. In the 11 minutes he was not on the floor, they lost by 21, minus 21. Not gonna work. My series prediction at the beginning of that series was, I think Philly. Who gonna stop Joel? I'm feeling right about that. Who gonna stop Joel? But them 11 minutes that Joel was out, how many minutes you gonna play him? He's still coming off that knee injury. What Philly's gonna need is they're gonna need a better Maxie for 48 minutes. Because that team that I was talking to y'all about that didn't have Joel anymore a couple months back, like, ah, they might be cashing it in when they got rid of Patrick Beverley. Nick Batum had a game in that play-in game. He gave them more than he was supposed to, more than he have been, and they won it. But you gotta do that for 7 games now. You need some other guys to step up. Minus 21, 11 minutes. That's gonna kill you every time in the playoffs. So they gonna have to figure that out. Jalen Brunson did not have a good game and the Knicks still won. However, I think Philly gonna keep having Nick Batum hound Jalen Brunson. They gonna put Kelly Oubre there to hound him with length. They gonna throw guys at Jalen Brunson with length. This ain't gonna be the only, game that Jalen Brunson struggles in this series. However, for the Knicks to go up 1-0 with Jalen Brunson struggling like that says a lot about their team. However, I'm still rolling with the best player. I don't believe in that Philly team at all. I don't think it's a very good team, as I've told you all before, but I think I, I'm still rolling with that prediction. The Lakers versus the Nuggets. Uh, the Nuggets, Lakers may be in some trouble because Bron had a great game, AD had a great game, and they never stood a chance at winning the game after the first half. And so that's trouble for the Lakers. They're gonna need a better D'Angelo Russell. You can't just say, "Oh man, shots ain't go in," when that's starting to be a trend in these 16 games. Yeah. Can't just say that. Got shots gotta go in. And D'Angelo Russell score, they need a better Austin Reeves. You on the scouting report now. Getting your bag now. Gotta play better. But D'Angelo Russell make shots. Lakers win games. D'Angelo Russell don't make shots. Lakers don't win games. That's the reason the Lakers was in the position that they was in. Talking about D'Angelo Russell on the trading block because they needed a better D'Angelo Russell. D'Angelo Russell on trading block showed up. Rest of the season, guess what? It's no longer 82, it's 16 now. Got to show up. So D'Angelo Russell play better, Lakers have a chance. D'Angelo Russell don't play better, Lakers don't stand a chance.

Mm-hmm.

And that's just what it is. And by the way, Remember the guys getting up there in years? Bron is one of them. Are you gonna ask him to have a game like he had in game 1 every night? We know he's capable, but can you expect that? Can you rely on that night in and night out when guys are getting to the number of years that they getting to? AD showed up. So it's on D-Lo.

What did you make of Darvin Ham's quote after the game. He said he still has a, he had a few adjustments on, on Jokic that he's, he's saving. You, you've, you've talked a lot about game 1 being a feel-out game of a series sometimes. What do you make of a coach saying, I have some adjustments that I could have used in this game that we had, we had a chance in, but I'm gonna save 'em for later in the series. I thought it was an interesting thing to say.

I think that's an interesting quote because the reality is you can't throw the kitchen sink at game 1. You can't throw all your adjustments at game 1. Thinking that's what's gonna get you to win throughout 7-game series. Now we'll get into this Milwaukee and Pacers game because I think they threw one of their adjustments too soon in a game that they had no chance at winning because they were down 30 points at halftime. And they threw one of their adjustments to kind of make the game respectable. But you showed your adjustment for game 2. And so I do agree with Darvin that you don't wanna show everything in game 1. However, I think they probably needed to throw a little more because that game 1 was a game 1 that they could have won. That changes the series, especially, and that changes their confidence being that they've lost 9 straight to the Nuggets, including 4 of those 9 or last 5 of those 9 being in the playoffs. Changes the psyche. You go and get game 1 and now your psyche is still, man, we can't get over the hump. So be that you could win, I thought you needed to throw one of those adjustments, but I thought one of their big, I mean, what's your adjustment now? Your adjustment could be throwing AD on Joker and not having AD on Aaron Gordon. But like, I think your biggest adjustment was actually the opposite way, right? Like you start AD on Joker and then go to AD on Aaron Gordon and let him plug and like see how they deal with that. But to switch it the other way, like that's kind of throwing everything because where do you go after that if AD don't get it done? And so I think that's, you know, you don't throw everything in game 1, but that was a very winnable game 1 for them in that first half and even in the third quarter and they couldn't quite pull it off. It's gonna make it a lot tougher to get game 2. A lot of these games you see been a blowout. These coaches in these blowouts are having a heart attack, the winning teams in these, the winning coaches of these teams. 'Cause when you blow somebody out in game 1, that team that you blew out come back pissed off in game 2, and you naturally go relax in game 2, thinking you've done something. And so I respect it, you know, gotta have the adjustments, but I thought one of the biggest adjustments they could make would be plugging off Aaron Gordon with AD, and they did that and it didn't work ultimately. So we shall see. Pacers-Bucks. Pacers talked a lot. After going 4-5-0 in the regular season, including in-season tournament. And the reality is Dame has something to say. He said, "You having your moment, be humble when you having that moment." It was like a Gandhi quote or some shit. I thought it was very interesting when Dame said that. Come full circle, Dame go for 35 in the first half. Don't score in the second half. Didn't really need to score in the second half. But boy, again, we go back to these wings being on these guards. I like Andrew Nembhard to compete. I've talked about him on the pod before. Don't have enough size to guard Damian Lillard. I'm sorry. Dame took his foot off the gas pedal in the second half. Wasn't aggressive, wasn't trying to bring the ball up because he didn't feel like he needed to. I'm here to tell Dame, Patrick Beverley running the point when the game starts in Game 2, you better be back on Dame time because Patrick Beverley running the point ain't gonna get it done in Game 2 like he did in the second half. Y'all would just kind of stay on the floor, but they gonna need that same Dame. One interesting thing about Draymond in Game 1 is that's the Draymond Lillard we've seen in Portland. And you put Dame on this team, This team right now without Giannis is still the best team Dame has ever been on in his career. So Dame can go out and do that. Again, are you gonna ask Dame to do that? Dame is the same year as me. To give it to you for 48 minutes is a little tough all the time. Like you, God. And so, however, Dame is capable of that. Again, we've seen Dame do that over and over again. And this is the best team, even without Giannis, this the best team that Dame has had. Yeah. So Dame can go win you this series. Dame has actually played his best basketball all year when Giannis wasn't on the floor. So if I'm the Pacers, I'm a little worried. 'Cause I know what Dame's capable of. And yeah, it's only 1-0 and you're on the road, so you gotta go win one road game. I get that. But I'm telling you, Dame can do that again. They're gonna have to put one of their wings with Lane on Dame. Mm-hmm. Andrew Nembhard don't have enough length. Dame is from the era where they started putting the guard, the wings on the point guards. So I know they did it years ago and all of that, but like I told y'all, I remember CP coming to our bench saying, "Dang, y'all putting 6'7" guys on me now?" Like when Klay switched, I remember that. So I'm just saying Dame from that era. So. Yeah, I like Andrew Nembhard and you may be, you know, having him guard Dame to take some legs away, you know, and do all of that. He's picking up full court, but it can't be 48 minutes of just Dame seeing him. Don't have enough length to bother Dame's shot.

The Pacers, to go back to what you were saying before about 16-game versus 82-game, I don't want to have too big of an overreaction after just one game of the playoffs, obviously. But do the Pacers sort of feel like an 82-game team? Compared to a 16-game team. But the way that they, their offense is so built on speed and it doesn't feel like a playoff, don't they don't have a lot of defense. They, as a team, it feels like an 82-game team. Am I, am I wrong there?

100%. They don't defend. They haven't defended anybody all year. They had a one, if I'm not mistaken, a 142 to 140 game this year in regulation. Took you 142 points to win in regulation by 2. It's absolutely insane. They haven't guarded all year yet. Their offense has been so high-powered. And I like some of those young guys they got on that team. But as I said, to start this series, you gotta defend when it comes playoff time. You can't just run in transition. You're gonna have to execute in the half court because the other team is gonna not just turn the ball over. This is the playoffs. They're not gonna take a bunch of bad shots, create shot turnovers. So you're gonna have to execute in the half court. And you're gonna have to defend in the half court. Either, you know, yes, their offense was high power. Yes, it was off the charts, ratings, you know, the numbers. But a lot of that was because they were just outrunning teams. You gotta execute now, that's a different thing. You know? And so, I do think the Pacers are an 82-game team, not a 16-game team. Not overreacting to one game. I told y'all this before, but they can't make many adjustments to what they do. You're a running team and you don't defend. You're not changing that in game 84, 85, or whatever it is. That is who you are. And so they gonna just have to run and try to outscore them. And maybe you win a game or two in the series like that, but that ain't gonna get you the series. Yeah. In my opinion. Obviously the Bucks need a great Damian Lillard each night without Giannis. I think Dame's capable of giving them that 4 times to win 4 games. But yeah, no, I, I don't, they are an 82-game team, not a 16-game team in my opinion. Clippers-Mavs, series that I think is gonna be great. Kawhi Leonard does not play game 1 and the Clippers blast the Mavericks. I don't look too much into that. That's how the series is gonna be. One thing's for certain is I know that the Clippers— excuse me, that the Mavericks were preparing for the Clippers with Kawhi Leonard. And when you go into a game preparing for a star, excuse me, preparing for a star, and that star doesn't play, it's almost like you've prepared for a team that you're not playing against. So Dallas is now going to that game finding out the night before that Kawhi's out. And their game plan is set up for Kawhi to be out there, they get blasted. Seen that movie before, plenty of times, but it's in recent memory when we played the Grizzlies the year we won championship in 2022 and Ja didn't play and we lost by 50. And then we won the next game to close the series. When you're preparing for that star, you're playing against a totally different team. And I think that could have affected Dallas, in my opinion. Now you got one more game on the road that no Kawhi Leonard would be there. This is your chance to ship the series. Dallas is a great home team. Role players didn't play well. PJ, I love the way he was guarding Paul George, finished with 11 and 7. But the only two guys that really played well, Dante Exum looked like he didn't belong out there. Maxi Kleber looked like he didn't belong out there. Role players don't typically play well in the playoffs on the road. Now you need them to be halfway decent so you can go steal one. In game 2. They'll play better at home. Don't doubt that at all. But this is your chance to go steal one on the road and take home court advantage in a series that the Mavericks is favored. Um, they gotta go get it done. I think they gotta go get it done this game. Now you got Kyrie Irving and Luka Dončić. You can always go win a road game even with Kawhi, but I think this is a great opportunity for them to go get it done. Russell Westbrook still I think is the key to that team. The energy that he brings. James Harden's capable of having a night like that. You know, that's, that's what you run into against these Clippers. Kawhi's out. James is capable of giving you a night. Russ is capable of giving you a night. And so that's what makes this Clippers team dangerous. Paul George gotta go in there in the second half. You don't want to see that. Start hitting tough shots. He gonna come out firing in game 2. With the way that he finished game 1. So that series, that's a fun series. What adjustments can the Clippers make? I think, I think the Clippers, what the Clippers, excuse me, what the Mavericks can do is I think they can put big Daniel Gafford on Terrence Mann. Terrence Mann is a good defender. He's hounding their guys. You play off him, plug off him, make him shoot. Ain't wanna look at the rim all year. Make him shoot. They struggle with Zubac. And you put big Daniel Gafford on Terrence Mann, you just stand at the rim, brother. Terrence Mann hit 10 threes, great, we should've lost. But he go guard him, you gotta put somebody now on Zubac. And you just front Zubac with that guy and you play Daniel Gafford behind. Front Zubac, Zubac gave them problems. Now Daniel Gafford's in rebounding position. Zubac had a lot of rebounds and Terrence, you play Terrence Mann off the floor, that's their defender. You play him off the floor, make things easier for Luka. He's picking him up full court every time. Now you got Paul George, Russ, and those guys having to guard Luka, taking a little lay legs for the offensive end, you know? And so I think you can do that. I think that's adjustment that, that— Yeah. That the Mavericks can make. That may win you 1 or 2 games. I don't think that'll win you the whole series because then they'll take Terrence Mann out and you gotta make another adjustment. But I think that's something that they can do for themselves, especially with Kawhi not in the game. It also helps you load up and be ready to double team Paul George and James Harden. Now you get James Harden off the 3-point line, you force him to the rim because we know he got 2 guys built in. Mm-hmm. So could possibly play Zubac off the floor because now if you take him away offensively, if you could put, I'm putting pick and roll. Also, I think for me offensively, if I'm the Mavericks, I'm putting James Harden in pick and rolls with Luka and I'm putting Zubac in pick and rolls with Kyrie. Now Kyrie's more dynamic. See, Luka's gonna get to where he get a shot. But Kyrie is more mixing Zubac, making him have to move and making him struggle. And that way you could possibly play him off the floor. And so that's just a couple things I see in that Clippers-Mavs series that could possibly be taken advantage of for the Mavs. If you Clippers, you feeling good about game 1, especially with no Kawhi, trying to buy time. Much time as you can buy, the better for Kawhi. So that's the Clippers and— Draymond Green. The Mavericks, Boston, we don't even need to talk about. That is not looking good for Boston. I mean, for, for the Heat. They need Jimmy bad. I don't see the Heat winning the game without Jimmy Butler. Boston is too good for them without Jimmy. So we're not gonna talk much about that. And I think that is a wrap. So as we move forward, the home teams that I got, not winning. Their next game is Clippers. I think the Mavs take game 2 and get that series started. Boston will win. I think Philly goes in and get game 2, get that series started. And then I think everyone else goes up 2-0. It's a big game for Minnesota. You do not wanna go to Phoenix 1-1. You wanna go to Phoenix 2-0, rolling off the— rolling off game 1. Gotta go get it done. Maybe you get a big game from Carl Anthony Towns, as Anthony Edwards said, but I'm still expecting M.A.N. to carry the load there. That's a wrap from this episode of the Draymond Green Show. Tap in next, later this week, we'll be chopping it up about more games. Peace.

Peace.