Top Ad
I DIG Radio
www.idigradio.com
Listen live to the best music from around the world!
I DIG Style
www.idigstyle.com
Learn about the latest fashion styles and more...

Draymond: Chasing play-in 'doesn't motivate me'

Written by 
Published in Basketball
Friday, 02 April 2021 00:36

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green says that he is not motivated by the NBA's new play-in games, despite the fact that his team currently sits in 9th place in the Western Conference -- squarely on the fringe of the league's reformatted playoff system.

"To be honest with you, I don't go into these games thinking like, 'Man, we need to win these games to get to the playoffs,'" Green said after Thursday's 116-109 loss to the Miami Heat. "I hate f---ing losing, so when I step on the floor I want to win. But I'll be 100 percent honest with you, fighting for a play-in spot does not motivate me. We're in what, [9th]? Fighting for a [play-in] spot doesn't motivate me at all."

Green, who has won three NBA championships during his nine-year career with the Warriors, added that the idea of squeezing into the postseason isn't going to motivate him any more than not wanting to lose already does.

"I want to win every game I play because I hate losing," he said. "That s--- really bothers me. So that's what motivates me, not fighting for some play-in spot."

After the interest in last season's Western Conference play-in game in the bubble, the NBA changed its playoff format prior to this season to allow more teams the opportunity to qualify for the postseason. The seventh-seeded teams in both conferences play the 10th-seeded team, and the eighth-seeded team plays the ninth-seeded team in a pre-playoff bracket.

The higher-seeded team must win two games in a row to make the playoffs, while the lower-seeded team needs to win only one game. If the playoffs started Friday, the Warriors would square off against the San Antonio Spurs -- but Green isn't concerned about that as his team continues to find a consistent rhythm that has eluded it all season.

Green was asked if his feelings about the play-in game would change in a few weeks if it were the only option the organization had to get into the postseason.

"No, it still won't motivate me," Green said. "I step on the court and I'm going to give 110 percent whether it's the play-in game or not. But, no play-in game is going to motivate me at this point in my career. That's just kind of what it is. Playoff basketball is definitely motivating, but a play-in game don't motivate me. And that won't change today, tomorrow, in a month or two months or two years from now.

"I want to win. That's enough motivation for me, but I'm not going to spend every day like, 'Man, we're right on the cusp of that play-in' -- I don't give a damn about that play-in game. If that's where we are and we're in the game, yeah, I'm going to do all I can to win the game. But, the play-in situation isn't going to get me out of my bed like I got to bust my ass today because we're fighting for the play-in spot. That ain't going to push me."

What is motivating Green is seeing teammate Stephen Curry continue to play through pain to try to help his teammates. Curry, who scored 36 points in Thursday's loss, is still dealing with the lingering effects of a painful tailbone bruise suffered during a fall on March 17 in a win over the Houston Rockets. Curry said he would have to see how he felt after waking up on Friday before making a decision as to whether he would play against the Toronto Raptors in Tampa, Florida.

"I gotta see how I feel when I wake up," Curry said. "This is an injury where Monday to Tuesday it was a tough day-after-game feeling. I'm hopefully progressing where I wake up and feel good and know what I'm dealing with and be able to play, but we'll monitor that."

Read 309 times

Soccer

Mudryk, Nkunku help Chelsea stay top of UECL

Mudryk, Nkunku help Chelsea stay top of UECL

Chelsea beat Heidenheim 2-0 on Thursday to extend their perfect record in the Conference League afte...

Sources: Real Madrid bus in crash after UCL loss

Sources: Real Madrid bus in crash after UCL loss

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsReal Madrid's bus was involved in a collision on Thursday on its re...

Sources: Van Nistelrooy set for Leicester job

Sources: Van Nistelrooy set for Leicester job

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsFormer Manchester United forward Ruud van Nistelrooy is in line to...

2026 FIFA


2028 LOS ANGELES OLYMPIC

UEFA

2024 PARIS OLYMPIC


Basketball

Leaks, team meetings, losses: The factors driving the Sixers' dreadful start

Leaks, team meetings, losses: The factors driving the Sixers' dreadful start

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsTHE JULY 6 POST on Daryl Morey's Instagram page is even more perfec...

Injury-plagued Beal hobbles off in loss to Nets

Injury-plagued Beal hobbles off in loss to Nets

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsPHOENIX -- Suns guard Bradley Beal limped off the court in the four...

Baseball

Dodgers minor leaguer suspended for doping

Dodgers minor leaguer suspended for doping

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsNEW YORK -- Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Jose D. Hernandez was sus...

Crawford, 2-time WS champ with Giants, retires

Crawford, 2-time WS champ with Giants, retires

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsSAN FRANCISCO -- Brandon Crawford is retiring after 14 major league...

Sports Leagues

  • FIFA

    Fédération Internationale de Football Association
  • NBA

    National Basketball Association
  • ATP

    Association of Tennis Professionals
  • MLB

    Major League Baseball
  • ITTF

    International Table Tennis Federation
  • NFL

    Nactional Football Leagues
  • FISB

    Federation Internationale de Speedball

About Us

I Dig® is a leading global brand that makes it more enjoyable to surf the internet, conduct transactions and access, share, and create information.  Today I Dig® attracts millions of users every month.r

 

Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: www.idig.com
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Affiliated