The Golden State Warriors and the Dallas Mavericks are about to start their Western Conference Finals battle on Wednesday, with the Warriors core trying to get another championship and Luka Doncic trying to establish himself as a true superstar by making it to his first NBA Finals, although he just says he’s living his best life. And while it has rightly been billed as a matchup between Luka and Steph Curry, there are a few other players that can swing the series on both sides.
The Warriors’ Big 3 includes Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, and while it’s the Splash Brothers that scare most people, it’s Green who helps the team in every aspect other than scoring. As a former DPOY, he is the defensive heartbeat of the team, and his playmaking also makes him an incredibly unique player. As such, Luka Doncic, in a pre-game interview, spoke about how he is the key for the Golden State Warriors over his more heralded teammates:
Luka Doncic: "Obviously, Klay and Steph are incredible offensive guys, but I think the key to the Warriors’ team is Draymond. He’s just unbelievable. I really respect him and everything he does."
That includes trash talk. "That’s the fun of the game. I love that part."
— Tim MacMahon (@BannedMacMahon) May 17, 2022
“Obviously, Klay and Steph are incredible offensive guys, but I think the key to the Warriors’ team is Draymond. He’s just unbelievable. I really respect him and everything he does.”
Luka is an incredibly visceral player on the court, too. He’s not afraid to say whatever he thinks, and he loves talking trash. That matches up perfectly with Green, and Luka did acknowledge that as well:
“That’s the fun of the game. I love that part.”
The Warriors are a great defensive team and Draymond Green is a huge part of that, so watching how a generational talent like Luka Doncic tries to pick them apart will make for great viewing. And while planning for Green is important and something that needs to be done, it would serve the Mavericks and Doncic to not forget about all the shooting around him, because when Steph and Klay have it on, the game can get away from teams pretty fast.
