OAKLAND – First up is Anthony Davis. Then comes Carmelo Anthony. Followed by Dirk Nowitzki and then LaMarcus Aldridge.
Draymond Green winces at the thought of his primary defensive assignments this week.
“Man, tough, right? Jesus Christ,” the Warriors forward said Monday, in a tone striking an interesting balance of dread and determination.
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“Oh, man. I thought I was the only one thinking about that.”
Green will be at the center of the effort to contain Davis on Monday, when the star forward leads the New Orleans Pelicans into Oracle Arena. Anthony and the Knicks visit Wednesday, before the Warriors leave for a three-game road trip that begins in Texas.
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It’s Nowitzki on Friday night, and Aldridge on Saturday.
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“It’s definitely a tough week,” Green said. “But, hey, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Man! It’s crazy.
“It’ll be fun, though, a fun challenge. And then cap the week off with Dirk and D-Lee. Oh, that’s great.”
Three of the four – Davis, Nowitzki and Aldridge – have a decided height advantage over the 6-foot-7 Green. Anthony, at 6-8, has been one of the league’s most dangerous scorers since entering the NBA in 2003.
For the record, when Green says “that’s great,” it was with perceptible sarcasm.
Which only means his competitive spirit will shift into overdrive.