Facing the Grizzlies who have more players in the infirmary than in uniform seemed like the ideal return for Draymond Green, after his suspension. Except that the Warriors fell into the trap of Taylor Jenkins' youngsters, who had nothing to lose and beat Golden State in intensity…
“It was nice to be back on the pitch” assures the strong wingerauthor of 7 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists in 23 minutes coming off the bench. “Being able to play basketball is always fun. It was a little weird coming out of the tunnel to go shoot and do my pre-match routine. But then everything fell into place. »
On a collective level, however, everything is far from being in place for the Warriors, who continue to slide (12th in the West with 18 victories for 22 defeats). For Steve Kerr, the Grizzlies' plan was simple, “shoot as many 3-pointers as possible and run”and Golden State's mistakes weighed down its team.
Defense begins on an individual level
Memphis players shot 40 free throws (32 successes), compared to only 10 (9 successes) for Golden State. This is the second largest differential of the Steve Kerr era in the Bay…
“The defensive plan collapses when there is no pride” explains Draymond Green. “You have to show pride, to hold your player, to want to prevent him from scoring. But our protests were too weak, our rotations too slow. There was just no pride. Until everyone shows that pride and wants to stop the guy in front, we will be bad. »
In the absence of Draymond Green, but also of Chris Paul, Steve Kerr explained that the team did not speak enough, and that its defense suffered from this lack of communication. The strong winger does not dispute it, but he repeats that the basis of a good defense is based on individuals who already do their job.
“Individuals make the team. Our individual defense is zero, therefore our collective defense is zero”he summarizes. “If we have guys who show their pride and who defend, then we can find solutions. If guys don't show any pride on defense, then there are no solutions. It is very simple. »
