Draymond Green goes off on the Warriors: "We're playing stupid."
Draymond is not happy with his team.
© D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports
The Golden State Warriors started off this season looking like one of the most serious contenders to go all the way, but as time has passed and injures and adversity hit, the "Dubs" have been looking a bit sloppy. Last night's loss in Orlando to one of the worst teams in the league tipped the cap over, as their emotional leader Draymond Green let his frustrations out.
Dropping a big one in Florida
Last night's game between the Warriors and the Magic was supposed to be another win for the "Dubs" despite playing without Steph Curry, but it turned into a tough game that slipped away from them. The young Magic would persevere in a low-scoring battle and take the surprising 90-94 victory.
The trio of Wendell Carter Jr., Franz Wagner, and Cole Anthony led the way for Orlando, whose team effort proved to be enough. On the other side, outside of Jordan Poole, who scored 26 points, the Warriors looked out of sync. Klay (14pts), Wiggins (13pts, 5-19FG), and Draymond (2 points) didn't have their best night, and the Magic took advantage of the opportunity.
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Draymond goes off
It's evident that the Warriors' play has been rather underwhelming over the past few months, after starting hot. Obviously, integrating Klay back into the system, along with Draymond's and Curry's injuries, have played a big part in their inconsistencies. But that doesn't justify the poor play from one of the best teams in the NBA. After the Magic loss, Draymond explained what's wrong:
"We're playing soft. We're playing stupid. We're just not playing good basketball and we're getting punked. Hard to win the game when you're getting punked. That's kind of where we are right now... We're losing a lot of fourth quarters... No disrespect to the Orlando Magic but that's one of the worst teams in the league."
Draymond Green, Anthony Slater Twitter
Pretty harsh words from Draymond, but it's obvious that the demanding leader is expecting a lot more from his team. It may sound disrespectful that he's calling the Magic a bad team after beating them, but they are near the bottom of the East with a 20-53 record. It's more about emphasizing how embarrassing this is for the 47-25 Warriors with championship aspirations.
Golden State is now not looking too prosperous to catch the Grizzlies for #2 seed, and the Jazz and Mavs are not too far away behind them. If they want to keep home-court advantage down the final stretch of the regular season, the Dubs will need to buckle down and pick it up, despite playing without their superstar. Maybe the Draymond call-out will serve as a wake-up call they need to finish out the season strong.
