“If he doesn’t look at the hoop, it’s really frustrating for me” - Tyrese Haliburton says Draymond Green has to be more aggressive on offense vs the Celtics
Tyrese Haliburton believes Draymond Green needs to be more aggressive to give the Warriors a chance of winning the NBA Finals. The Golden State Warriors suffered an embarrassing loss to the Boston Celtics in Game 1 as they blew a large lead in the fourth quarter.
They registered one of the worst collapses in recent years, losing the fourth quarter 40-16 - a new NBA record.
Reacting to the loss, Sacramento Kings guard Haliburton thinks more production has to come from Green for the Warriors to have any success. On The Old Man & The Three with JJ Reddick and Tommy Alter, he said:
"I'm very curious to see, now if Robert Williams is not in the game, if Horford or Marcus Smart is guarding Draymond, taking away his roles, when is Draymond gonna look at the hoop?
"This is an elite defense. Like, an elite defense. You cannot go out there with only four guys who are willing to shoot the ball. I feel like Draymond has to be aggressive for them to have any success, in my mind. If he doesn't look at the hoop, it's just really frustrating for me. Why is he not shooting the ball?"
Fans and pundits have already started to play the blame game. Coming into the series, the Warriors were favored to win the title, but many have started to change their minds.
Skip Bayless was critical of Steph Curry despite his 34-point game. He maintains that the All-Star guard has no clutch genes and disappears in big moments.
While some have directed their disappointment at Green, Stephen A. Smith believes the former Defensive Player of the Year steps up when the pressure is on.
Draymond Green finished Game 1 with only four points
Draymond Green is not the go-to guy when it comes to scoring, but a four-point performance will not be much help to a team looking to win the NBA title.
Green has taken responsibility for his role in the loss, saying he failed Steph for not doing his part. Steph had an incredibly hot start to the game, knocking down six 3-pointers in eight attempts, and finished the first quarter with 21 points.
“When [Steph] comes out guns blazing like that, playing the way he’s playing, I have to make sure I do my part.”
@Money23Green breaks down Game 1 of the NBA Finals. https://t.co/ePifVytIZn
The All-Star forward highlighted the Warriors' struggles on Thursday night and has presumably been working to rectify that. While he is not counting on the Celtics' role players to get as hot from beyond the arc, he is not interested in giving them those open looks.
Later tonight, the Warriors will take on the Celtics for Game 2 at Chase Center. A win tonight is crucial in keeping their championship hopes alive, as going 2-0 down will make their task a lot more tedious.