Warriors have seen this before, and it shows

[ad_1]

Melissa Rohlin

FOX Sports NBA Writer

San Francisco – Draymond Green He was quiet.

So what if it’s a file Golden State Warriors Were about to eliminate?

So what if it was the last match, Steve Curry And Clay Thompson they played together? So what if there is too much at stake?

For Green, the task before him was simple, something he broke down on his podcast before his team 121-106 defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5.

“We’ve Been Here Before,” Green said on the podcast, “The Draymond Green Show.” “You go to win one game, all the pressure turns off. You come back to [Crypto.com Arena], 3-2. Basically it puts them in a must-win position. No one wants to go down the road to play 7″.

This kind of thinking is what makes warriors so dangerous. While some people cannot see the forest to the trees, these warriors are able to hone on a single tree with such intense concentration that they are able to so-called obliterate the forest, relieving the overwhelming pressure.

For them, the task was to win only one game. check. next game Friday in Los Angeles. Simply. There is no intimidatingly wide chasm to jump over.

What word best describes LeBron James? Skip Bayless’ answers

“We have great confidence that we can come back again in this series,” said Curry, who finished with 27 points, eight assists and three rebounds.

And why not?

The Warriors haven’t lost a playoff series to a Western Conference team since 2014. In other words, whenever they’ve qualified for the playoffs over the past eight years, they’ve made the finals. It’s an amazing statistic, especially considering they’ve reached the postseason six times over that span.

“We’ve figured out all the mysteries in the course of our playoff history,” Curry said. “You were mostly quiet because you remember just having fun and enjoying this experience and the opportunity we have to play at this level.”

joking? With what is at stake? This really explains it. For Curry, his approach to these big moments is staying loose and losing himself in the competition.

As for Thompson, he always thinks his next shot will go across the net, even on nights when he has 10 points on 3-for-12 shooting.

For Green, he sure is particularly fiery. Therefore, be sure to find plenty of additional motivation.

Green focused on player development coach Jacob Rubin, telling him before the match, “I didn’t feel your presence [in this series]. ”

“I felt a little disrespectful when he said that,” Green said. “So, I knew I had to come out to set the tone for our guys.”

He also drew inspiration from a vision of his former coach V.I Michigan StateTom Izzo cheering him on in the stands.

“When he’s in the building, he lights a fire under me,” Green said.

Green went on to finish his career with 20 points on 7-for-11 shooting, 10 rebounds, four assists and two steals.

[How Austin Reaves, the ‘Hillbilly Kobe,’ won over LeBron James]

The thing about these warriors is that there isn’t much they haven’t seen. The stars of the team know how to put themselves in the right mindset. They know what it takes to defy the odds.

Curry, Thompson, and Green came back from a 3-1 series deficit from before Oklahoma City In the 2016 Western Conference Finals.

And just two and a half weeks ago, they became the first defending champion to win in the first round after falling into a hole 2-0, by defeating Sacramento.

Their unwavering self-confidence is contagious.

Inspired Gary Payton II Being a Battery Energizer, she finished with 13 points and the highest plus-minus rating of anyone on the field (+25). Inspired Andrew Wiggins To have his best game since returning from a two-month layoff, finishing with 25 points on 10-for-18, seven rebounds and five assists, while also being assigned defense. LeBron James.

“You know how confident and encouraging they are and you make everyone think we can do it,” Wiggins said. “Just day by day and game by game, possession by possession, just giving ourselves a fighting chance.”

Now, as Green predicted, the pressure is on the Lakers in a number of ways.

Anthony Davis is injured, and is eliminated from the Lakers’ Game 5 loss to the Warriors

Technically, only the Warriors will face elimination in Game 6. But in reality, the Lakers should also win. There’s no way they’d want to take on a bunch of guys who’ve won four championships together on their home court in a Game 7.

James knows this very well. The Warriors have faced off in four consecutive Finals. Throughout the series, she’s gushed about how much he respects Carrie. And he showed the required fearlessness when speaking about his team, saying after Game 4 that “it’s just not possible” to feel comfortable in front of the Warriors.

Now, things have reached a turning point.

Will the Warriors make another unlikely comeback? Or will the league’s newest dynasty finally be pushed to the brink?

“We’ll have to, we’ll have to go out there and take it,” Green said.

Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She has previously covered the league for Sports Illustrated, Los Angeles Times, Bay Area News Group, and San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @Melissarohlen.

He follows Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience