Spartan Legend Green Talks Play-In, Limited Rest for Playoff Push

Michigan State great and Golden State Warriors veteran forward Draymond Green spoke to the media following his team's brutal loss on Sunday, which fizzled their chances at a top-six playoff seed. They will now be featured in the play-in tournament.

Apr 13, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) controls the ball against LA Clippers center Ivica Zubac (40) during the second quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images | Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

Michigan State legend and current Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green issued some calming words after his team's blunder of a loss on Sunday night to miss out on a crucial top-six spot in this year's NBA Playoffs.

The Warriors had an opportunity to win their final game of the regular season and seal a spot as a first-round playoff team in the Western Conference. Instead, Green and the Warriors fell to the Los Angeles Clippers in overtime, putting them back in the play-in tournament for the third time in the five-year existence of the format.

With the play-in festivities starting on Tuesday night, Green and his team will have significantly less rest than if they were to have overtaken the No. 6 seed from the Minnesota Timberwolves with a season finale victory. Green is not worried in the slightest about his team's ability to quickly bounce back.

"We'll be fine. Playoffs, you aren't playing any back-to-backs or anything like that so, just gotta get there, we'll be alright," Green said. "We're not senior citizens, we're high-level basketball players. If we have to play tomorrow, we'll be alright, you train all year for this."

Green has started 66 of the 68 games that he has played in this season as a 35-year-old veteran with four NBA titles to his name. He is having his best seasons since 2017-18, averaging 9.0 points on 42.4% shooting with 6.1 rebounds and 5.6 assists with a chance at Defensive Player of the Year.

Golden State will face the No. 8 Memphis Grizzlies, Tuesday, April 15 in San Francisco, Cal

Warriors lead the season series, 3-1. If they win, they will meet the No. 2 Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs. A loss would give them a second chance, facing the winner of the No. 9/No. 10 play-in matchup, taking place on Wednesday night.

Historically, the Warriors have been extremely poor when playing in the Play-In Tournament, holding a record of 0-3 in play-in games over the past four seasons. They will look to the three-headed monster of Green, future Hall-of-Fame Steph Curry and six-time All-Star guard Jimmy Butler.

In 2021, the Warriors earned a No. 8 seed, falling to the Lakers and were defeated once again in the redemption round against No. 9 Memphis. In 2024, they were a 10-seed, losing to the Sacramento Kings.

“We haven't fared well in these play-in games,” Green said postgame. “Got to get locked in and get ready to go.”

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