The Golden State Warriors took a 30-20 lead in the second quarter of Game 1 against the Minnesota Timberwolves when Stephen Curry set up Draymond Green for a three-pointer. Moments later, Curry strained his hamstring on a drive. As he walked gingerly toward the locker room, he told Green, “I`ll be back.”
Curry did not return to the game.
With the team`s superstar sidelined, Green immediately grabbed a rebound on the next possession and pushed the ball up the court, sinking another three-pointer from the top of the key. Less than a minute later, he made his fourth three of the quarter, extending the Warriors` lead to 14 points. Despite Curry`s absence, Golden State`s lead grew to 23 in the third quarter, culminating in a 99-88 victory and an early series advantage.
At a critical moment when the Warriors could have faltered without their primary scorer, Green injected life into the team. He anchored a defense that limited Anthony Edwards to missing his first 10 shots and held Minnesota to just 88 points, one of their lowest totals this season. Offensively, Green complemented Jimmy Butler, contributing 18 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. His four successful three-pointers were second on the team only to Buddy Hield`s five.
Green has shown improved form since his disappointing Game 6 performance against the Houston Rockets, which he found “embarrassing,” and is a key reason the Warriors have won their last two games. He will need to maintain this high level of play as Curry is expected to miss at least through Game 4 due to a Grade 1 left hamstring strain. His performance in Game 2 on Thursday will be critical.
Just five nights earlier, facing elimination in Game 7 on the road in Houston, Golden State players held a crucial team meeting. Green told ESPN the meeting was decided by Curry, Butler, and himself. During the discussion, Green openly shared his feelings, a practice he has embraced in recent years with the help of therapy and counseling. He promised his teammates he would lead with greater poise and set the appropriate tone in Game 7.
This commitment carried over into Game 1 in Minneapolis.
“He`s our leader,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “And when he`s right, like he was [in Game 7], he`s an incredible player to watch. The defense, just kind of owning the court on that side of things and then just being patient and not turning it over and being in the right spots offensively. I think the guys understood after Game 6 we were scattered, we were out of sorts.”
To recenter himself before the sixth Game 7 of his career, following a difficult Game 6 where he had four turnovers and committed a flagrant foul, Green turned to music, listening to 1990s R&B alongside current artists. He also had meaningful conversations with his closest confidantes: his wife Hazel Renee, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, his best friend Travis Walton, and even his barber.
Izzo, Green shared with ESPN, offered him much-needed tough love.
“I spent the [those] two days embarrassed just at what I gave [in Game 6], what I gave to the world,” Green said. “I wanted to come out and prove again just who I am with poise but with the same fire, same tenacity.”
He also visited a spa and meditated, utilizing techniques learned through therapy and counseling sessions that followed his indefinite suspension last season for incidents involving Rudy Gobert and Jusuf Nurkic.
When Coach Kerr joined the team meeting on Saturday, he initially planned to outline keys for Game 7, including telling Green he needed better leadership. However, Green had already expressed similar sentiments to his teammates moments before.
“It was like we were an old married couple repeating the same things,” Green told ESPN, laughing.
This partnership has resulted in four championships. Kerr has consistently praised Green as one of the greatest competitors he`s encountered and “the best defender I`ve ever seen in my life.” The morning of Game 7, Kerr had a lengthy discussion with Green during shootaround, pointing and talking intently as Green listened and nodded in agreement. Green described it as “one of the better conversations we’ve ever had.” Kerr shared stories, reminded Green of his accomplishments, and emphasized that the Game 7 outcome would be less significant in his overall legacy than his broader résumé. He encouraged Green to play with joy and poise, setting an example for the team.
During the same meeting, Curry spoke to the team about controlling factors not reflected in the box score. What he observed from Green in Game 7 was precisely the kind of emotional control required, especially in a potentially physical series that could test his composure.
“No better lesson than [Game 7],” Curry said Sunday. “Like make it about basketball. He doesn’t need to be a mute and not talk and be demonstrative. We wanted that type of [intense and fiery] Draymond, but conserve the energy towards us, our huddles. Even when he had that kind of mix-up with [Fred] VanVleet, he didn’t react, go talk to the refs, try to plead his case. It didn’t go his way. He kept it about basketball.”
Green knows all attention will be on how he physically and mentally handles Gobert. He had a notable offensive highlight against Gobert in December, driving past him for a one-handed dunk and using the Curry “night night” celebration. While he mostly maintained his composure against Gobert during the regular season, Green is near the threshold for an automatic one-game suspension, needing only two more flagrant foul points or three more technical fouls. He humorously acknowledged his tendency to push boundaries, quoting comedian Charlie Murphy: “I’ve always walked that line. That’s who I am. Habitual line-stepper.”
In Game 7, when he received a technical foul after contact with VanVleet, Green was visibly frustrated on the bench but was calmed by teammates and assistant coaches. Curry offered a prolonged handshake, seemingly to help his emotional teammate regain control.
In the hostile Toyota Center, where Houston fans chanted at him, Green responded with 16 points, six rebounds, five assists, and two blocks, serving as the defensive anchor that held Houston to 89 points. He kept his emotional displays to a minimum, delivering the focused performance Kerr needed.
On Thursday, Green will play a playoff game without Curry screening or passing to him for the first time since Game 1 of the 2018 Western Conference Semifinals when Curry missed time with a knee injury against the New Orleans Pelicans. Historically, the Warriors are 9-3 in playoff games without Curry, but those teams featured a younger Green, Klay Thompson, deeper rosters, and Kevin Durant played in six of those contests.
Kerr will rely on Green for more playmaking responsibilities, a role Houston attempted to limit in the first round. Green is only the eighth player in NBA history to record 1,000 rebounds and 1,000 assists in the playoffs, joining an elite list that includes Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Scottie Pippen, and Jason Kidd.
Without Curry, Green will likely handle the ball more, potentially playing point guard to relieve pressure on Jimmy Butler and initiate offensive sets. Kerr mentioned that the coaching staff spent Wednesday devising the best strategies for operating without Curry.
“I had four turnovers,” Green said, reviewing the Game 1 box score. “Your margin for error shrinks dramatically without Steph. We’ll see what Coach has in store. I’m not going to come out and be like, ‘Aw man, I need to be Steph.’ I can’t do that. But I may have to handle a little more. Just play my role, honor the game plan that Coach gives us, if that’s me making more plays, I’ll try to do that.”
Even after the important Game 1 win, Green continued to provide leadership, insisting the Warriors “won`t panic” despite seeing Curry limp out of the locker room. His commitment to leading better is now more critical than ever.
“I have to keep it similar for my guys,” Green said after Game 7 about maintaining his composure against opponents like Gobert. “Forget anybody else [like Gobert]. But for my guys, I need to stay that way, so I’ll be locked in. It’ll be good. But finding that balance, finding that line, not crossing it is important for me and this team, and I gave them my word. I’ll continue to give them my word.”