"That's one of the reasons Draymond and I butt heads... I think it’s honestly been healthy for the team" - Steve Kerr opens up on his relationship with Draymond Green

Steve Kerr and Draymond Green have had some testy confrontations in the past. [Photo: Fadeaway World]

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr and All-Star forward Draymond Green are a study in contrast. Kerr is the calm, steady and often quiet presence of the Warriors’ success, while Green is the loud, hyperenergetic and outspoken team leader.

On more than a few occasions, they’ve gone at it. The coach needed to get things done one way, while the player wanted to do it differently. They’ve had some public clashes but never to the detriment of the team.

On the "Point Forward" podcast, Kerr kept it real about his relationship with Green:

“I have a tipping point, and I’m incredibly competitive. And that's one of the reasons Draymond and I butt heads 'cause when we see something differently, and we start butting heads over it, there’s no stopping either one of us. That dynamic has been an interesting one for the team. I think it’s honestly been healthy for the team. It keeps us on the edge a little bit.”

Kerr added:

“I think the last couple of years it has really softened quite a bit, just because we’ve been together for so long, we’ve been through so much and I respect what Draymond has meant to the team, to the group. I think I’ve learned to coach him better than I did, say, five years ago.”

One such dustup happened in 2016 in a nationally televised game between Kevin Durant's OKC Thunder and the defending champion Warriors. The incident occurred at halftime and inside the locker room where ESPN reporter Lisa Salters detailed what she could hear.

"I did not hear what precipitated it. But (Green) was yelling so loudly that I could hear everything that he was saying," Salters reported.

Green went after Kerr based on this report:

"I am not a robot! I know I can play! You have me messed up right now! If you don't want me to shoot, I won't shoot the rest of the game!"

The 2016-17 Defensive Player of the Year was so agitated that Salters heard him daring teammates to let him stop and sit down. Kerr, who by this time was as furious as Green, never backed down one bit.

Draymond Green thought the Warriors were going to trade him after a fight with Steve Kerr in 2016 uproxx.it/4fewcdc https://t.co/gPlIl67s1e

There have been reported instances like these over the last few years, but the Warriors seem to have come out unscratched.

There was no confrontation when Steve Kerr pulled Draymond Green out of Game 4 of the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics

Draymond Green didn't complain when he was pulled out by Steve Kerr in Game 4 against the Boston Celtics. [USA Today]

The Boston Celtics were just a nightmare for Draymond Green to operate on offense. He probably had the worst three games of his career to start the NBA Finals. Green was almost unplayable on offense when Steve Kerr took him out in a crucial stretch in Game 4.

There was no shouting match this time as the four-time All-Star understood what was going on although he still didn’t like Kerr’s move.

"What a time to push this relationship, and maybe this Warriors era, about as far as it could go."

Steve Kerr's gutsiest call of Game 4 was benching Draymond Green down the stretch, writes @timkawakami.

"And it all worked."

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The coach later explaiedn why he made the big decision at that time in a report by Tim Kawakami of The Athletic:

“From an emotional standpoint. A little bit like OKC back in ’16, a little bit like Memphis early in the playoffs this year. Certain matchups make things tough for him to score inside and run pick and roll, and that’s OK. It’s just a matter of figuring it out and doing whatever you have to do.”

Kerr continued:

“Boston just switches everything, blows a lot of stuff up. So we’re running predominantly pick and roll all night, because that’s our best way of attacking them. They know it, and we know it.”

When Green got back into the game, he made a few crucial plays that helped save the Warriors from a 3-1 deficit. Games 5 and 6 saw the temperamental forward play his best games of the NBA Finals.

Kerr then gave the ultimate praise to Green:

“Part of the reason he wins is because of his emotion, because of his passion. So when the passion boils over, it’s all part of it. But I wouldn’t trade him or trade his emotion. … I wouldn’t change him, put it that way. We need what he provides, the emotion and the energy. We gotta have that.”

When Draymond Green sat at the end of Game 4, he didn’t question Steve Kerr.

“I was upset, (because) as a competitor you want to be in the game. But I wasn’t upset that he thought he should go a different direction.”

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They will likely clash again in the future, but the Warriors know they’ll probably need that to keep their dynasty going.