"We built this thing from ground zero" - Draymond Green reiterates his, Steph Curry's and Klay Thompson's importance to Golden State as trio play for first time in 1,005 days
Draymond Green was extremely excited to finally be sharing the court with Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry after returning in a 126-112 win on Monday.
The trio has been an integral part of the franchise and have won three championships together. However, injuries have kept them from playing together for 1005 days. That wait was finally over when they took the court against the Washington Wizards on Monday.
As expected, the Chase Center was loud when Draymond Green made his way to the court. He was under minute restrictions, but in the 20 minutes he played, the former Defensive Player of the Year made a huge impact.
This game had all the Dubs fans excited, as it was the first time in two and a half seasons that the phenomenal trio of Curry, Green and Thompson were reunited on court. Green talked about the much-awaited reunion before the game:
"I'm very excited, I mean, I was looking forward to this day for a long time... a couple of months ago. And obviously we all know what happened, so no need to go into that." (Green injured his back on Jan. 9 before Thompson's first game back).
"But just to take the court with those guys, those two guys, in particular, I always say, 'We built this thing,' you know, with Andre (Iguodala), who got here my second year, we built this thing from, like, ground zero."
Draymond on playing with Steph and Klay tonight:
"I'm very excited. ... We built this thing from ground zero. "
The Dubs went 23-43 in 2011-12. But with Curry (drafted in 2009), Thompson (drafted in 2011) and Green, they became a force, making their mark with their style of play.
Soon, the Warriors became a dynasty that ruled the NBA. They went 47-35 and reached the Western Conference semifinals the next season and then went to five straight NBA Finals from 2015-19.
Undoubtedly there were players like Andre Iguodala and Kevin Durant who proved to be an integral part of their team. However, Green, Curry and Thompson were there right from the start. Speaking about the legacy created by the trio and the chance of once again getting to play with the two, Green said:
"The year before I got here, it was 23 games won, and then we went to the playoffs (in 2012-13). And so, to take the floor again with those guys, especially after, you know, all the nonsense that this dynasty is over and all the s***t that came with it, I'm extremely excited to obviously get out there with this team."
"But, you know, with those two guys, in particular, there's a different meaning."
So good to see these 3 back together on the floor! 👏 https://t.co/1adi97PKkH
Steph Curry's Golden State Warriors cruise to facile win on Draymond Green's return
The Golden State Warriors were extremely hyped about their game against the Washington Wizards. That's because their star forward Draymond Green was set to return to action after two months.
@NBCSAuthenticadd a trey for DG
📺 @NBCSAuthentic https://t.co/IVlMglpRgp
Draymond Green made his way to the court with 4:50 minutes to play in the first quarter.
It didn't take too long for him to make a difference as the Warriors ran their vintage play with Green assisting a Curry three-pointer. From there on, the Warriors looked like a tough team to stop. Curry, who was celebrating his 34th birthday, looked terrific and seemed to enjoy his time on the court.
Dray's first play back is a dime to steph, naturally.
📺 @NBCSAuthentic https://t.co/3ca29ziNRC
He scored 47 points and took control of things in the second half to completely turn the matchup in the Warriors' favor.
Green looked stellar in his first game back, scoring six points and securing seven rebounds and six assists. He ended the night with a team-high +/- of +24. Jordan Poole and Klay Thompson also added 20 points apiece to help the Warriors get a win. They'll next play the Boston Celtics at home on March 16.