"We weren't really looking at the Lakers... the Clippers were the next young team up" - Draymond Green describes the Warriors ascent in the West against an aging Lakers and young Clippers
Draymond Green has described what it was like to face a young LA Clippers team and an old LA Lakers squad. The Golden State Warriors ascended atop the Western Conference in 2015, battling against the "Lob City" Clippers. It also happened when the Lakers were not very good with an aging Kobe Bryant.
In a recent guest appearance on the "Checc-N-In" podcast (h/t Heavy.com), Green reminisced about their rivalry with the Clippers in the early 2010s. He explained that there were two young up-and-coming teams ready to take the next step. In their rear-view mirror was the Lakers, a team Green respected.
"For us, when we really started to come to play in the West, was once we started having battles with the Clippers," Green said. "The Lakers for us was like, 'That's cool, that's them. We can't compete with that.' They OGs. If we're going to match up with them in the playoffs and they beat us, they supposed to.
"So we weren’t really looking at the Lakers like, 'We gotta get to them.' Everyone at that time was talking about how the Clippers were the next young team up. But we didn't believe that."
Draymond Green spoke about their first-round matchup in 2014. Golden State won Game 1, but the series became a back-and-forth matchup. The Clippers eventually won the series in seven games. But the series was embroiled in controversy due to the Donald Sterling scandal.
The "Lob City" Clippers were among the best teams in the league at the time, but they never got over the hump. The Warriors ended up taking over the league starting in 2015, winning four of the next eight championships.
The Lakers have made the postseason twice in the past nine years. However, they won the championship in 2020. The Clippers, on the other hand, are still looking to win their first title in franchise history.
Draymond Green opens up about his back injury
Draymond Green almost missed half of last season due to a back injury. Three months after helping the Golden State Warriors win the championship, Green opened up about his injury on the "Checc-N-In" podcast (h/t NBC Sports). The former DPOY explained that he had a herniated disk on his back:
"My L5 and S1 disks is herniated, so it's bulging out and it's hitting my sciatica nerve.
"I wasn't on the bench or I didn't travel with the team or anything for two months because I couldn't sit down. Like I was either standing or laying down. Until this injury, I never noticed how bad my posture is. For eight weeks, I didn't do anything but core strengthening in the weight room."
Green also assured Warriors fans that he's feeling better than ever. Golden State will hold their training camp later this month before flying to Japan for a couple of preseason games. They will start their title defense on Oct. 18 against the LA Lakers.