"A lot like Game 7": Draymond Green hypes up his return to action for high-stakes in-Season tournament game vs Kings
Draymond Green and the Golden State Warriors are set to face the Sacramento Kings in an NBA In-Season Tournament matchup on Tuesday.
Green recently expressed his excitement to face their playoff rivals from last year. It'll be the first time this season that Green will play in Sacramento and he's already hyped up to see how the match goes.
Draymond Green mentioned that playing in Sacramento will have a big-game feel. He specifically said that the atmosphere could similarly feel like Game 7 in a marquee playoff matchup.
This is due to the fact that the Warriors and Kings have a lot of history with each other from last year. This is especially true between Green and Domantas Sabonis, considering how both stars got into a heated altercation last season.
"I think it'll be fun, a lot of fun," Green said during a press conference. "I think it'll be a lot like Game 7. The atmosphere, the people, the excitement, the angst. The feeling that I'm expecting is that it'll feel like a Game 7."
Looking back at the time Draymond Green stepped on Domantas Sabonis
Draymond Green's confrontation with Domantas Sabonis during last year's playoff series between the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings intensified in Game 2. The former Defensive Player of the Year reacted by stomping on Sabonis' chest after the Kings' center grabbed his leg.
This incident occurred with 7:03 remaining in the game, while Sacramento was leading 91-87.
As a result, Green was ejected from the game, while Sabonis received a flagrant 1 foul. Tensions between Green and Sabonis had been simmering since Game 1, with the Kings' center being a pivotal figure in Sacramento's offense, leading to Green taking him as his primary defensive assignment.
Although there had been previous skirmishes between the two in the series, nothing had escalated to this level of heated confrontation. Unfortunately for the Warriors, Green's ejection played a part in their downfall as they fell behind 0-2 in the series.
Sacramento capitalized on a 17-8 run in the final minutes, asserting control in their first-round matchup.
Given all that history, their matchup this coming Tuesday in Sacramento will surely be nothing short of intense.