For me there were two key turning points in the finals.
The first was game 2. Draymond Green single handed my beat is in that game. He understood the importance of that game and understood that if the Warriors lost it they were going to lose the finals. So what does Draymond do? He delivers a Draymond Green masterpiece.
By mucking it up Dennis Rodman style with just about everyone in our team (but mostly JB, Smart, Horford and Grant Williams - the quote unguarded tough guys on the team), he completely distracted our entire team. He owned a lot of real estate in a lot guys heads in Game 2. Very well done.
We may not like Green’s BS, but GS won the game. That is experience, grit, smarts and maturity of understanding what was needed - and the discipline to do it.
Game four:
Again, if GS loses that game, which they nearly did, the series is over. They broke our confidence in that game and we never recovered.
That is experience, grit, smarts and the discipline to do it on GS’ part.
Grant Williams is a super bright kid and he is 500% on point with his comments.
We were the better team but we were soft mentally due to youth in large part and we folded, reverting to old ways when the going to the toughest.
Learn and grow.
One moment that stuck out to me was when Draymond followed Tatum all the way to the bench along the baseline after play was stopped. The appropriate thing for someone to do would have been to take the ball and shove it in Draymond Green’s face and push him away from Tatum. Start a scrum if necessary, take a tech, make the point. It probably should have been Grant Williams who should have done it.
I credit GS grittiness and our mental softness for the loss of these finals
It’s OK, we’re young and learning - we’ll get there.
Draymond should have received a tech for taunting on that play but we didn’t stick up for ourselves, or Tatum.
Tatum should also have turned around and gotten very into with Draymond - even a chest shove would have been appropriate. But Tatum was soft - let Draymond bully him.
Just great pshychllogical basketball by the Warriors - outstanding.