In this episode of the Draymond Green Show, Draymond Green and host Colin Cowherd break down the upcoming Western Conference playoff matchups. They start with a preview of the Lakers‑Pelicans game, emphasizing travel advantages, the health of Anthony Davis, and how his rim protection could neutralize Zion Williamson. The conversation then shifts to a rundown of the Western Conference seedings, noting the impact of the play‑in tournament on teams like Phoenix. Detailed series analyses follow: for the Timberwolves‑Phoenix matchup, they discuss the contrast between size (Gobert, Towns) and Phoenix’s perimeter shooting, the defensive challenge of guarding Anthony Edwards, and the potential need for Kevin Durant to take on that role. The Clippers‑Mavericks series is examined through the lens of Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving’s offensive firepower, Kawhi Leonard’s defensive responsibilities, and Russell Westbrook’s X‑factor status, including possible lineup changes. Throughout, Green offers speculative predictions, highlighting key player matchups and strategic adjustments that could decide each series.
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Welcome to the brand new Draymond Green Show YouTube channel. Hit subscribe so you don't miss out on any of our content. Lakers-Pelicans. And the winner of that team, that game, as I said, take on Denver. I, that game, number one, don't look at the last game and be like, that's what's gonna happen. Like the New Orleans Pelicans came off of 2 very emotional back-to-back wins versus Sac on Thursday, at us on Friday, and then fly home on Saturday for an early game on Sunday. Lakers are coming from Memphis, and actually, you know, they get to New Orleans, their travel is a lot easier than the Pelicans, ironically.
Yeah.
And so I definitely think that plays into account. Pelicans now been at home a few days. They'll be back settled in. Going back home for a game is always tough. When you return home for one game or the first game returning home on a, from a trip, and that's what the Pelicans are going through. So I don't think the Pelicans that you saw in Sunday's game is the Pelicans that you're gonna see in tomorrow's game. I think that'll be a totally different matchup. You know, that's two teams that's playing extremely well. Now what does it come down to? What does it come down to? I think, I think I got the Lakers winning that game with a healthy AD. Obviously AD needs to play. Hurty's questionable. I expect AD to play, but I think they win that game. And the reason I say they win that game, what New Orleans will have to do in order to win that game would be essentially what they did versus us. Which has hit a bunch of threes. New Orleans does a lot around the rim. They like to get to the rim. Zion's great at getting to the rim. And AD at the rim is just a different animal. A totally different animal at the rim, protecting the rim with AD there. And so I think, me personally, I got the Lakers winning that game for that reason. Now the Lakers are—
They're not the Lakers.
Towards the bottom of the league from a statistical standpoint in defending the 3. So if New Orleans can hit 3s like they did versus us, they can win. However, you're gonna get a heavy dose of Zion. Their offense is built around Zion. And Zion at the rim, I think AD can make a lot tough. If AD can make those shots tough at the rim on Zion, I think the Lakers gets out in transition. They're running, they're hitting threes, they're dunking the ball. I think they move on to face the Denver Nuggets and we're facing New Orleans in New Orleans on Friday. That's just my take. That's what I got. I don't know. You be the judge. You let me know what you think. But that's what I got. We'll see what happens. Moving on to these playoffs. You got the West. OKC, young OKC becomes the— Youngest team ever to solidify number 1 seed. The Denver Nuggets, after losing in the play-in last year, Denver Nuggets number 2, Timberwolves number 3, Clippers at 4, Mavericks at 5, Phoenix at 6. Speaking of the play-in, like Phoenix come down to the last day they needed to get 6. It doesn't really shape out like that. That fight don't happen if you're not trying to avoid the play-in. Everybody start picking like, oh, we wanna be 7, we gonna lose this game, we wanna be 8. With the play-in on the line, you couldn't do that, right? So those are your Western Conference teams. The matchups that we know are set already are the Timberwolves at 3 and Phoenix at 6.
Um.
The Clippers at 4 and the Mavericks at 5. Those are the matchups that we know are set. And as those matchups go, Timberwolves and Phoenix will be a very interesting matchup. Phoenix, you know, Phoenix is playing 4 out, 1 in. They got Nurkic at the 5, KD at the 4. The Timberwolves play 2 bigs in Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns, just back from injury. Now that could get interesting because you'd say like, oh, well their size could kind of make, Phoenix pay, but no one really plays that style of basketball anymore. Like, you're not, you're not gonna post Rudy Gobert and you're not gonna post Karl-Anthony Towns a ton with Rudy Gobert in the game because the paint just get too tight. No one plays that style of basketball. Meanwhile, Phoenix is pushing the ball back the other way with Grayson Allen shooting a career high from 3 and just getting paid. Kevin Durant, we know how K shoot the ball. Book, we know how Book shoot the ball. Brad, we know how Brad shoot the ball. So if they wanna slow it down and like throw it in the post, when you miss, they're running back and they're shooting threes, they're hitting threes. No one plays the throw the ball in the post. And so you don't necessarily get to take advantage of the size much from that standpoint. Yeah. Also got the best big off the bench in the league, in my opinion, Naz Reid. How much does the size affect Phoenix? I'm not sure the game is going to allow it to affect them that much more than it'll affect the Timberwolves having to guard them. And so obviously you got young Ant Edwards looking forward to the opportunity. I'm also looking forward to seeing Ant on this stage, me personally, myself.
Yeah.
Draymond Green going up against these, these all-star, this all-star trio that Phoenix got. One thing that I think is going to be important is who is going to guard Anthony Edwards? I'm assuming Brad Beal will, but I'm gonna tell you, at some point in this series, and I got Phoenix winning, I think Phoenix will win the series. I think they got too much firepower offensively. Um, and that's what it'll come down to for me. But here's what will have to happen for Phoenix to win the series. At some point throughout this series, Kevin Durant is going to go have to guard Anthony Edwards. If Phoenix is going to have a chance at winning this series, At some point, may not be game 1, may not be game 2 or 3, but at some point in this series, Kevin Durant is going to have to say, "All right, I'm going." And Brad Bill is a good defender. Brad competes. Not saying, but at some point, Kevin is going to have to take his lane, his defensive tenacity when he wants to turn that up, and he's gonna have to go guard Anthony Edwards if they're gonna move forward in this series. That's my take. That's what I'm thinking. However, I got Phoenix, I do have Phoenix winning, but that's gonna need to happen. And then you got a heavyweight battle with the Clippers and the Mavericks. Mavericks has playing the best basketball that we've seen them play since Luka Dončić has been a Dallas Maverick. Him and Kyrie, what they're doing offensively with the additions of Gafford, PJ Washington, them boys playing some beautiful basketball. Think those are great additions to them. I think those additions at the trade deadline, Nico Harrison don't get enough credit for. Daniel Gafford addition was a steal. We've all been watching Daniel Gafford and Washington rotting away for the last 3, 4 years or so. Like, man, if that guy can get on a good team, if you had him on a good team, it takes your team to another level. Dallas did it. It's done that. PJ Washington is playing really good basketball. And so with that, um, the Clippers have not been playing good basketball. Uh, they've been struggling a bit. I am taking Dallas in that series. I think Dallas ultimately gets it done. However, if the Clippers are going to win that series, at what point Do you take Kawhi Leonard and you say, all right, now Kawhi, you go guard Luka Dončić. Here's the key though. Here's where it gets interesting. When you do that, the X factor in that series is gonna be Russell Westbrook because Russell's gonna have to guard Kyrie Irving. And when you got Luka on the floor, Kyrie don't get much attention from the defense. You tend to forget. Let me tell you, Kyrie Irving is a monster. And so if you decide to forget, Kyrie gonna go off. Talu know that they won a championship together. But Russell Westbrook is the X factor in their series. Russell Westbrook is the X factor for that team. Uh, no surprise they've struggled as much as they've struggled over the last month and a half because Russell missed most of the time. And so Russ on Kyrie, Kawhi gonna have to go guard Luka at some point throughout this series. I also think at some point throughout this series, Ty Lue gonna have to scrap Russell Westbrook off the bench and move Russell Westbrook into the starting lineup in order to win this series.
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