When a team loses in never-before fashion, there are sure to be takes.
The Golden State Warriors under Steve Kerr had never been eliminated in a Western Conference playoff series. LeBron James’ Lakers ousted them in a one-game play-in in the cursed bubble tournament year in 2020, but the Lakers knocking them out in this year’s series was a first under Kerr.
Bill Simmons of The Ringer thinks that Draymond Green’s very public friendship with James was a problem for the Warriors. On a Monday podcast, he accused Green of lacking his normal intensity, with co-host Ryan Russillo saying Green “practically made out with him after they lost.”
Simmons called Green’s performance “shocking,” and proceeded to rip him for not going after Davis in a physical way:
He seizes on whatever the mental or emotional or whatever weaknesses of the other team like he did with the Celtics in that lead series where he’s like, this team isn’t tough enough. Fucking bully-balled the Celtics that whole series.
Did he try anything with Lebron, Davis, that whole series? No.
LeBron, I get it, like LeBron’s his friend, they have the same agent, like all that stuff. LeBron’s like his big brother in a lot of ways.
But Davis is exactly the kind of guy if you were doing a fantasy draft of people Draymond Green would fuck with, you’d put Davis on it. And he didn’t mess with him.
He’s kind of running around and he’s like trying to start shit with Dennis Schröder and Darvin Ham. Why don’t you start fighting the two guys who are kicking your ass?
The criticism comes after Steve Kerr acknowledged that the Warriors’ trust was fractured after Green punched Jordan Poole at the start of the season.
Green has a one-year, $27.59 million player option this offseason, but the Warriors — coupled with optimistic reports — have expressed confidence he’ll be back.
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