Game 3 Warrior Wonder: Draymond Green

Defense wins championships. So does Draymond.

Right from the outset Game 3 between the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs was destined a tight, physical, grind-it-out affair.

The Spurs may lack the talent of previous younger iterations, but they are still a group of veteran professionals who come to play.

But you know who else came to play? Yep, that’s right. One Draymond Green.

This was a game made for him, and he didn’t disappoint. Throughout the night he showed off his full versatility.

On one end, he was disrupting passing lanes, blocking shots, cutting off angles before they even appeared. On the other, he was throwing down dunks and making threes.

Oh yeah, and dishing out some delicious dimes. Check out this laser vision.

His stat line for last night’s game doesn’t really tell the whole story, Draymond-esque though it (10 points, six rebounds, seven assists, two steals and four blocks) was.

These kind of plays don’t show up in the stat sheet, but they embody the spirit of Draymond Green, and are why the Warriors are so difficult to beat when he’s locked in.

And as much as I can watch him play defense all day long, I could listen to him talk about the game of basketball even longer. He just sees the game on a different level - there’s so much knowledge, insight and intelligence in his comments.

Too often he doesn’t get the credit for the game-changing player that he is. We all rightly rave about the revolution that Steph Curry unleashed on the NBA, but Green is just as revolutionary on the defensive end.

There’s still a few more gears to crank up on the way through these playoffs, but Draymond’s as engaged as he has been all year. And that alone should scare the bejeezus out of anyone.

Mr Reliable - Kevin Durant

You know what the Warriors’ record was in Game 3’s in the first two years of the Steve Kerr era? Two wins, six losses.

You know what their record is in Game 3.s since one Kevin Durant broke the NBA and hopped aboard this merry wagon? 4-0 — in a row.

He’s got a little lost in the shuffle of this series. We’ve seen a surprising lineup change to start the series off, JaVale McGee outplaying the wildest expectations of all Warriors fans, and Klay Thompson reach a new level of maturity and polish.

But these playoffs the Warriors formula without Curry has been a stringent defense on one end, and a humming offense on the other.

Durant has done everything he’s needed to and more. Yes, he scores like breathing. But he too has shown a growth and maturity to his game, keeping the ball moving and facilitating for others, while taking the opportunities the Warriors offense opens up for him.

Last night, he had 26 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. Another impressive, yet slightly under the radar, evening. And another Game 3 win.

Don’t you ever change Klay Thompson!

Yeah, about that. How can you not love this guy? He may not have had quite as big a night as he had in the first two games, but when you needed the shot to keep the Spurs at bay, the Klaybot was there.

Three All-Stars competing for last night’s Warrior Wonder. Three wins in the book.

One more win and it’s on to the next round where the talent jumps up a level and dunks in your face.

Wait, we’re getting ahead of ourselves - that’s a #FutureWarrior Wonder. Let’s stay in the present.