The Golden State Warriors managed to take a decisive win tonight against the Orlando Magic, but the eyes weren’t on the scoreboard. The lasting image from tonight’s game came in the third quarter: Warriors forward Draymond Green leaving the bench following a heated exchange with head coach Steve Kerr. What happened?
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“They were just having a good conversation,” Warriors superstar Stephen Curry told the media after the game. “I haven’t had a chance to talk to him. I’m pretty sure we know how to be professional, though.”
Curry pushed back on the broader narrative that frustration caused this issue. Yes, the Warriors are not where the team had hoped they’d be, sitting in eighth place in the West with a 15-15 record, but the tension rising from that was fuel, and more recently, the team has been on a two-game winning streak and has successfully protected home court.
Curry simply asked why the “vibes of the questions are a little bit more negative than they should be,” especially when, according to him, the team is finally getting in a groove.
The timeout occurred at 8:31 in the third quarter, and Green reacted emotionally to Kerr, leading to the back-and-forth exchange and Green’s subsequent exit to the locker room with assistant coach Anthony Vereen. Afterward, Green told the media that he “thought that was the best for me,” and felt a responsibility to address reporters after the game.
Kerr downplayed the incident, saying that the situation is “private,” not speaking any further on the matter, but he did add that “Draymond played great.”
What Brandin Podziemski Saw During the Aftermath Between Draymond Green and Steve Kerr
Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski’s vantage point couldn’t have been more different than Stephen Curry‘s. The third-year player was warming up along the baseline, preparing to check into the game, and told reporters he didn’t hear or see anything happening between Draymond Green and Steve Kerr. According to him, it was something the veterans were going to sort out.
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“He was a great teammate on the bench,” Podziemski said of Green’s impact on the team during the fourth quarter, when he returned from the locker room. “[He was] telling us what he sees, and it helped us go on a run, third, fourth quarter.”
The Warriors outscored the Magic 31-14 in the fourth, and the veteran forward’s advice from the sideline had to have been a big factor in the win.
More than anything, though, Podziemski framed the moment through trust. He didn’t shy away from acknowledging how the team’s record at this point in the season isn’t what they had hoped for, but the leadership from the veterans isn’t always going to look the same. He added that Draymond‘s intensity is the reason the Dubs have won four championships, and the locker room still thrives from his motivation.
