"That thing drives Steph Curry nuts" - Draymond Green claims Curry gets upset when players worry about shooting percentages in the playoffs

Draymond Green knows many of the things that get Steph Curry furious on the basketball court. The two have been teammates for over a decade now so Green should know what he’s talking about.

On his podcast, he explained one thing in the 2023 NBA Finals that made Curry mad:

“Steph Curry, he made me aware about this through the years. There’s guys holding on to the ball at the end of a quarter so they don’t lessen their shooting percentage and I saw a couple of guys do that yesterday [Game 3].

"This is the NBA playoffs, man. It’s the NBA Finals! Who cares if your shooting percentage drops a little bit? That thing drives Steph Curry nuts.

In the first quarter of Game 1, backup point guard Reggie Jackson failed to put up a shot with 2.9 seconds left. He was deep in the backcourt when he received an inbound pass from Nikola Jokic.

In the fourth quarter, the Denver Nuggets didn’t attempt a single field goal as the outcome was already decided. They chose to run out the clock as a show of respect to the Miami Heat. Between those two quarters, there were attempts to shoot the ball as the buzzer sounded.

Judging by Steph Curry's mindset, he must have gone nuts in last year’s NBA Finals. In the first five games of the championship series, Green was 9-32, including 0-11 from behind the arc.

On numerous occasions, the Boston Celtics dared him to shoot by leaving him open. Green often didn't even bother to look at the rim, knowing how much he struggled to make shots. Notably, he had more personal fouls, 24, than made field goals, 9.

Luckily for the Golden State Warriors, Jordan Poole stepped up big time. Poole had two momentum-changing buzzer-beaters in the series, which were crucial for the Warriors in their championship run.

---

Steph Curry wants to keep the core of the Golden State Warriors intact for at least another year

The future of Golden State Warriors stars Klay Thompson and Draymond Green is uncertain.

Green has a player option next season, which many expect he will exercise. Thompson is in the final season of his five-year contract.

If Golden State wants to recoup assets and picks, trading one or both is not beyond the realm of possibility.

Tim Kawakami of The Athletic wrote that Steph Curry has a say in the Warriors' key offseason decisions:

"I think the most likely scenario is that the Warriors keep most of this together for at least one more season. That's what Curry wants. His opinion sort of matters. And I'm not even sure what "aging star" is worth acquiring at this point. I guess there was the LeBron James-to-the-Warriors burble a little while ago.”

---