SAN FRANCISCO – Draymond Green returns to the Warriors for Game 4 on Sunday, and though he was away for only one full day it might take him a few moments to recognize his teammates.
The Warriors are not what they were the last time he shared the court with them. Their emphatic Game 3 victory over the Kings in the first round of their Western Conference playoff series indicated they finally are committed to the approach required to reach their potential.
Draymond, as well as Gary Payton II, will be joining an improved squad in Game 4. It took two uppercuts to the chin and a left hook to the heart for the Warriors to get there.
Despite incessant chatter about elevated focus and attention to details in the days leading up to Game 1, neither element was evident until Game 3, a victory fueled by fury. Already angry after being smacked in the face twice by the Kings, the Warriors reached full wrath after the NBA suspended Draymond for reasons they believe unjust.
Their response was a 114-97 triumph built on, well, elevated focus and attention to details.
“We moved the ball, we took care of the ball, we made great decisions and didn’t force anything,” Green said Saturday after practice. “We didn’t allow their pressure to bother us. We handled it really well.”
With Draymond and GP2 available for Game 4, Golden State gets its most impactful defenders. And it comes after holding Sacramento’s regular rotation under 100 points for only the third time in 85 games.
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And yet, even as the Warriors limited the Kings to 38-percent shooting, including 23.4 percent from beyond the arc, the Game 3 victory was more of an offensive clinic than a defensive masterpiece.
The Kings feasted off Golden State’s sloppiness in the first two games, scoring 41 points off its 37 turnovers. There is no easier bucket than transition dunks and 3-pointers after live-ball turnovers.
“I don’t think our offense, per se, is what was killing us,” Green said. “Our turnovers were killing us. Giving up offensive rebounds was killing us.”
After allowing 29 offensive rebounds, leading to 41 second-chance points for the Kings in the first two games, the Warriors brought those numbers down to 13 and 12 in Game 3. They committed 12 turnovers in Game 3, giving Sacramento only seven points.
By simply respecting the basketball, Golden State forced the Kings into a lot more half-court actions. That’s precisely the goal of the defending champions.
“It was a great example of why the game has to connect,” coach Steve Kerr. “We talk about it all the time. If you execute offensively – rebound, take care of the ball – it sets up your defense to be more successful.
“That was the biggest key to the game. There were a few possessions when we got lost in transition. But we rarely turned it over. We forced them to play more in the half-court than we did in the first two games. They missed some 3s that they’ll probably hit tomorrow. So did we. That’s all part of the playoffs.”
Emotions were high yet the Warriors were composed when they took the floor for Game 3. Unlike the first two games, they looked like a team ready for playoff basketball. Credit their ability to strike a beautiful balance between desperation and diligence.
“Yes,” Kerr said. “We did in Game 3, so we can do it in Game 4. We just proved it. They’ve got to do it again if we want to win the series.”
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Kerr also issued a threat to his team. The decision-makers – Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Jordan Poole and Green – have to be “rock solid” and avoid the temptation to “try all kinds of crazy stuff” in Game 4.
“If we do that,” Kerr said, “there’s going to be a lot of timeouts early in the game.”
If Game 3 was a test of the Warriors’ resourcefulness, Game 4 on Sunday will be a measure of their earnestness boosted by greater defensive skill. With Green and Payton returning, that should be easy to come by.