Draymond Green: ‘Not a Doubt in My Mind’ Warriors Reaching NBA Finals

The Golden State Warriors lived to see another Playoff battle Thursday night, taking down the OKC Thunder 120-111 in Game 5, and Draymond Green says his confidence remains at an all-time high.

Green, who finished with 11 points and 13 rebounds in the must-win, says there isn’t a doubt in his mind that the Dubs will roar back from the 3-2 series deficit and return to the NBA Finals for a possible rematch with Cleveland.

Draymond chatted with Kobe Bryant prior to the do-or-die affair last night, and says The Black Mamba’s words inspired him.

Per Yahoo and ESPN:

“We came in here with the mind-set that we were going to fight and we were going to win this game, no matter what it took,” Draymond Green said. “Says a lot about the character of this team. Says a lot about the fight that we have. It’s not over. We’re going to continue to fight. We’re going to go to OKC. And we’re going to battle.” […] The defending champion Warriors have experienced some adversity over the past two seasons, but nothing like what they currently face. Coach Steve Kerr’s group had never been so rattled and was responding in uncharacteristic fashion in Oklahoma City. (Stephen) Curry said, “We were stressed in OKC and it showed.”

 

Only nine of the previous 232 teams to go down 3-1 have come back to win a series, but Green is confident that a team that lost only nine games in the regular season has what it takes to finish the task ahead. […] “Absolutely. Not a doubt in my mind,” Green said. “We put more pressure on ourselves than anybody could put on us. This is a confident team, regardless, and going through the struggles we went through to get this point, that’s where our confidence comes from.”

 

“Kobe’s [Bryant] texts meant a lot. I actually talked to him on the phone [Wednesday], as well. His message was, ‘If making history was easy, why bother?’ It meant a lot, because that’s a guy who has been in this position before. A guy who has done all the great things you can do in this game. So to get that text — at that moment when it’s a tough time — meant a lot.”