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Golden State Warriors: 5 Takeaways From Game 5 vs. Thunder

By Gerald Bourguet

May 26, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) reacts after scoring against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second quarter in game five of the Western conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
May 26, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) reacts after scoring against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second quarter in game five of the Western conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
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May 26, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) dribbles the ball past Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) during the fourth quarter in game five of the Western conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. The Warriors won 120-111. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Draymond Can Make An Impact Without Scoring

Let’s get this out of the way: Draymond Green cannot score against the Oklahoma City Thunder. With the lanky Kevin Durant guarding him and playing the most spirited defense of his career, it’s just not happening.

It wasn’t happening during the regular season when Green averaged 8.3 points per game on abysmal .333/.200/.400 shooting splits, and it hasn’t happened in this series either, with the human Swiss Army knight averaging 11.2 points per game on .345/.143/.800 shooting.

But that’s the beauty of Draymond Green: When he’s at his best, he can leave his mark on a game without putting up a ton of points on the scoreboard.

Green is not only a formidable, versatile defender who should’ve won a Defensive Player of the Year Award in one of the last two seasons, but he’s also an excellent facilitator, rim protector and emotional leader for a historic 73-win team.

We saw that again in Game 5, with Green showing a renewed commitment to the parts of his game that earned him the starting job and put him on the map in the first place.

From a scoring standpoint, Green only had 11 points on 4-of-10 shooting, missing both of his threes in the process.

But he also racked up 13 rebounds, tallied four assists and recorded four crucial blocks — all of which came on important, crowd-igniting plays.

Green’s +2 for the game doesn’t really do it justice. Despite a disastrous start to the second half, including fouling Kevin Durant on a three-pointer and then earning a technical for arguing the call, Green supplied the energy and leadership he promised he’d bring to the table after an ugly Game 4.

The Dubs would love to see Green’s threes start falling again since he converted 38.8 percent of them in the regular season, but in a hostile Game 6, they’ll be more than accepting of Game 5 Draymond Green: defensively active, moving the ball and providing that emotional spark to get his team going.

Next: No. 2

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