“End their playoff hopes”: Draymond Green gears up with thunderous prediction ahead of Warriors-Rockets matchup
The race for the Play-In Tournament between Draymond Green's Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets is on. Both teams aspire to secure the tenth spot for a chance to participate in the 2024 NBA Playoffs, but only one team can make it. With how the standings in the Western Conference look, the Rockets are in trouble and Green is aware of it.
The Warriors are currently in the tenth spot in the West with a 41-34 record, while the Rockets are three games behind in the 11th spot. After their win against the Dallas Mavericks last night, it pushed them to have a better record than Houston.
Much like Golden State, the Texas-based team has seven games left and they have to win almost all of their games to be part of the Play-In Tournament. That could be impossible as they'll face a few playoff teams along the way.
Green is aware of this and hinted that the Warriors will attempt to end the Rockets' postseason hopes in their final matchup against each other tomorrow. The defensive forward shared his analysis on "The Draymond Green Show."
"Really big time for us," Green said. "Especially with the Rockets coming out to play. They have lost a couple in a row.
"Tomorrow will be an opportunity to end their season, their playoff hopes."
While he was sharing his analysis, he also slightly mocked Rockets big man Tari Eason when he said "the Rockets coming out to play." Last week, Eason posted a video on social media about the chance that his team has to secure the tenth spot and eliminate the Warriors' playoff hopes.
However, that has not come to fruition and Houston remains at the 11th spot in the West.
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The Warriors secured a win last night thanks to Draymond Green's clutch block
With less than two minutes left in their game against the Mavericks last night, Draymond Green was focused on securing the win. During a play where Mavs star Kyrie Irving drove to the basket and passed the rock to their center, Daniel Gafford, Green paid attention to the play.
He timed it perfectly when Gafford went up for a dunk and rejected the shot attempt that rocked the arena.
After the game, head coach Steve Kerr gave him props for the defensive instincts he had during the play. According to Kerr, he thought that Green was going to foul Gafford.
"That was probably the key defensive play of the game, just a massive play," Kerr said. "...He's one of the reasons we've been able to kind of turn the season around."
The Warriors will need Green's defense as they try to eliminate the Rockets' playoff hopes tomorrow.
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