SAN FRANCISCO – For those of us who thought Game 1 of the Western Conference finals was a little too civil, fear not.
It’s about to get nasty.
Maybe not Nick Saban-Jimbo Fisher nasty.
But a lot more emotional and biting than it was in Game 1, which wasn’t much more than a pillow fight, at least on the Mavericks’ end.
They need to be more physical. And the Warriors know that is coming. Draymond Green expects nothing less.
“Anytime you beat a team in the playoffs, that’s always going to be the No. 1 adjustment – raise the level of physicality,” he said. “So we expect it.”
The Mavericks fell into a 1-0 hole in the conference finals with a 112-87 loss in the series opener. They have lost the first game in all three playoff series this postseason. They recovered to win the first two by turning up their aggression and, yes, their physical nature. And also by making more shots than they did in Game 1.
Golden State coach Steve Kerr said it’s a natural progression in any playoff series that the level of play gets more physical and nastier as the games go by.
Familiarity, after all, breeds contempt.
“It’s the most competitive basketball on earth,” Kerr said. “These are the best players on earth and everybody’s fighting for something they really want.
“So there’s a lot of mutual respect, but at some point in the series – and it’s always been this way – after a couple games, it just starts to get testy because both sides want it so badly. It’s nothing personal. It’s just competition.”
The Mavericks have players who can dish out physical play. One of them, Maxi Kleber, was handcuffed in Game 1 with three fouls in just eight first-half minutes. That meant he was not on the floor for defensive help, which clearly cost the Mavericks.
But he said the team knows what is needed in Game 2 Friday night: More attention to detail and a tougher disposition, both mentally and physically.
“We’re not going to shy away,” he said. “Obviously, this was a bad loss for us. But we just got to make the right adjustments.
“It’s not big adjustments, but we know we have to do certain things better in order for us to get better shots. Same on defense. If you don’t come with the right approach against a championship team like that, it’s tough.”
And putting a body on people is part of the right approach.
“We have to be physical,” coach Jason Kidd said. “They were physical. They were the aggressors (in Game 1).”
However, no matter how the Mavericks approach Game 2, there’s a limit to how nasty things are going to get, Green believes. He’s never one to shy away from emotional basketball or the need to mix things up.
But he doesn’t see this becoming basketbrawl.
“I think it’ll get a lot more physical, but I don’t think testier or nastier,” Green said. “We’re not a testy or nasty team. And they’re not a testy or nasty team. Will it get more physical? Of course. It’s the Western Conference finals. It’s gonna be physical. But I can’t foresee it getting testy and nasty. That’s just not how these two teams are built.”
Green said the Warriors’ second round series against the Memphis Grizzlies was different.
“Memphis is a testy team. They’re a nasty team,” he said. “That’s their MO (method of operation). What do they call it? Grind City? Something like that. That’s who they are.
“That’s not who Dallas is. And that’s not who we are. So I don’t expect it to get testy or nasty. But it will be physical.”
Or, perhaps, Green is just sandbagging.
World according to Draymond: Green is probably the best interview in the NBA.
There’s a reason why he’s got a job waiting for him at TNT after his playing days are over. He has opinions and isn’t afraid to express them.
And he usually does so in very astute fashion.
Here’s a sampling from his more than 30-minute interview session on Thursday after the practice sessions:
On Klay Thompson supposedly working his way back into form: “It really goes to show how people can only identify if you’re making or missing the shot. Because the game he’s been playing on the floor in terms of impacting winning is the same Klay I’ve been with in battles in the playoffs. I think it’s pretty funny, the narrative. I hope he don’t believe the narrative, but it kind of sounds like he does to say, aw, I’m still working to get back. No, he’s back. Give that man his respect. He’s playing incredible basketball.”
On what he does to get away from playoff pressure away from the gym: “I don’t get away from it. I live that, every day, in the playoffs. You got to live this, you got to feel it, you got to breathe it. If you get away from this in the playoffs, you lose your mojo. You’re not going to win if you try to get away from this. Everything you got has to go into this. What am I trying to get away from? A championship? There’s enough guys running away from that. I don’t need to join that group. I live and breathe that stress every day. I don’t go home and feel like I’m free. I’m doing something to prepare for tomorrow all day until I go to bed. That’s how you win championships. You got to stay in it. If you can’t stay in it, you won’t win. If you’re not in it, somebody’s working to win. You’ll lose. And I don’t like to lose. So I stay in it the whole time until I’m out. That’s just how I operate.”
And, after his mom interrupted the interview with a cell phone call, Green told her reporters could hear her and she quickly hung up. Then Green talked for another 14 minutes, including this about being in the Western Conference finals:
“You have everybody who plays basketball watching. You see all the tweets during games from players. I was doing it the last two years (when Golden State missed the playoffs). Everybody’s locked in to watching the game. There’s no better feeling as a player when everybody’s watching you? You got to embrace that. Why would I step outside of that? Once you step outside that, you go to Game 1 of the (next) regular season, which is boring.”
Injury update: The Mavericks remain relatively healthy, according to their hourly injury update. The only player listed is Tim Hardaway Jr. who has been out for months after foot surgery and remains out.
The Warriors will remain without Andre Iguodala as he deals with a neck issue that has been diagnosed as a left cervical disk injury. There remains no timetable for his return.
In addition, Gary Payton Jr. remains out with a fractured left elbow.
That’s two players who would normally see time guarding Luka Doncic, by the way.
Twitter: @ESefko
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