Golden State Warriors: 5 things we learned from Opening Night
By Corey Libow
4. Draymond is indispensable
Yet Steph alone couldn’t save the Golden State Warriors in the fourth quarter. Draymond Green had himself a quietly outstanding game, tallying up 9 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists in three quarters. When he tweaked his knee at the end of the third and hobbled off the court, the Warriors fell apart. Outscored 34-20 in the final quarter, they missed both his defense and his playmaking.
Even more than his tactical prowess, the Warriors missed his toughness. The Rockets got every loose ball, hustled on defense, and bulldozed their way to the rim and the line.
Kevin Durant wasn’t the defensive center he showed he could be in the finals last year, and there was no one able to take Draymond’s place. It drove home the point that while the Warriors have survived without Curry in the past, they’ve never been able to replace Draymond.