- Programming note: Warriors fans can watch complete Game 3 coverage Thursday on NBC Sports Bay Area, NBCSportsBayArea.com and the NBC Sports app. “Warriors Pregame Live” starts at 6 p.m., followed by Bob Fitzgerald and Kelenna Azubuike on the game broadcast at 7, with “Warriors Postgame Live” and then “Dubs Talk Live” immediately after the game.
SAN FRANCISCO -- Warriors general manager Bob Myers asked one thing out of Draymond Green when the two spoke Tuesday night after learning that Green had been suspended for Game 3 of the Western Conference playoff against the Sacramento Kings: Whatever you have to say, don't say it tonight. Sleep on it.
"That's all I told him," Myers said Wednesday at Chase Center. "Sometimes he listens to me, sometimes he doesn't."
The conversation the two had wasn't long and drawn out. Myers described Green as "quiet" on the phone. He also made it clear to Draymond that his focus at Wednesday's practice had to be about getting his teammates ready to win without him, not his thoughts on the suspension.
The GM also spoke to Steve Kerr, Steph Curry and other Warriors leaders.
Their thoughts on Green's suspension were shared. Though the theme of the talks was far more about what's to come Thursday night at Chase Center rather than being angry with the league offices or not.
For the first time with Green, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson wearing Warriors jerseys, Golden State is in a two-games-to-none hole in the playoffs. The Warriors have won at least one road game in their previous 27 playoff series. Now, they must win at least one of their next two games on their home court to even have the chance at keeping that streak still going, and they might need to win both to have more than a puncher's chance of advancing to the next round.
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"I think you'd be surprised how fast it shifts to, 'OK, now what are we gonna do?'" Myers said. "Everybody understands that we have a game tomorrow night and we're in the middle of a series, a difficult one. And that's the focus. I understand if you don't have an impact on that, but everybody that I talked to did. I mean, one guy's got to coach the team, one guy's got to play in the game. Draymond still got to be here and help until he can't.
"The rhythm of the league, it just keeps coming. The game tomorrow becomes the focus, after whatever that person wanted to say to me, which I'm going to let them say if they want to say. I've already had time to live with it for a little bit. They hadn't. So then I get the immediate reaction. But then I tell them, 'Look, it's done. It's done. It ain't changing, we got a game.'"
From top to bottom, the Warriors are trying to move on in an instant and make sure everyone's thoughts are on preparing for the Kings -- first without Green, and then with him. He was at Warriors practice on Wednesday and did address the team.
His message lasted about a minute, doing what he can to have the Warriors' eyes solely on the prize at hand, two days after all eyes were on him and his theatrics in Sacramento.
Moses Moody, who is in his second season as a pro and still only 20 years old, appreciated Green's speech and believes it shows what kind of leader the four-time champion is.
"That's why I feel like Draymond is such a good leader," Moody said. "It's easy to be positive, it's easy to be the guy when everything's good. But when you're in a situation like this, for him to step up and not have an elephant in the room, not have an awkward silence or anything -- he addressed the issue and then it was time to get back to business."
Without Green, a leader and keys to the ignition on both ends, Steve Kerr will have to empty his can of options against the Kings. That possibly means more Jonathan Kuminga. JaMychal Green's chances should ramp up. The same goes for other reserves like Moody and Anthony Lamb.
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Green only missed nine games this regular season. The Warriors were 41-32 with him, producing a 56.2 winning percentage. Without him, they went 3-6, a 33.3 winning percentage.
Last season, though, Green missed 36 regular-season games, including a two-month stretch that saw sidelined for 29 games to a back injury. The Warriors were 34-12 with him in the regular season before their championship run, and 19-17 without him.
"We've played without Draymond quite a bit the last couple of years," Kerr said. "We've played plenty of games without him, and guys understand how that factors into our strategy, into lineup combinations, into what we're trying to accomplish.
"So, we'll be fine."