The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Draymond Green Show - Warriors / Nuggets Reaction + Breaking Down the MVP Race

Episode Date: February 26, 2024

Draymond Green discusses the Warriors tough loss to the Denver Nuggets, why Jokic is so difficult to guard, and how Aaron Gordon has transformed his game. Then he dives into the Western Conference playoff race, the MVP goalpost moving, and fights in the NBA.  0:00 Start 2:00 Warriors / Nuggets  15:00 MVP Race 18:00 Fights Produced by: Jackson Safon #Volume #HerdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Bonus bets expire 168 hours after issuance. See sportsbook.draftkings.com slash basketball terms for eligibility and deposit restrictions, terms and responsible gaming resources. What's up everybody? Welcome back to the Draymond Green Show. We are recording this Sunday night after a tough loss, man. That one, first is the Nuggets. We'll talk about this game.

We'll talk about the MVP race. We'll talk about the Western Conference Playoff Battle slash race. Jackson and I were laughing starting this episode because my night nurse is in there sleeping and she's snoring and I wonder if the mic's going to pick it up.

So if it does pick it up, you all get a special episode today. But by the way, night nurse, she's amazing. Incredible. and she's been great for my wife and I with the baby. So shout out to her. But I hope you all catch that.

I hope the microphone picks that out. Anyway, make sure you subscribe to our YouTube channel, YouTube.com slash at Draymond Green Show. Make sure you're going to subscribe. Check that out. And let's talk about a few things. Number one, the dubs, as I said, lost to the Nuggets, 103-19.

And it was just kind of like one of those. games that you kind of just got to flush. That's a very good team. That's why they are defending champions. And if we were to meet that team in the playoffs, I think there are some adjustments that we can make that can put us right in position to win. But that's a great team.

And Joker 32-16, and 16 gave me complete hell tonight. I've had my fair share of good matchups against Joker. I've given him a little bit of hell on some night, but he gave me total and complete hell tonight. And I had absolutely no answers. And I'm just going to laugh about it because either you laugh or you cry. And so I'm going to laugh about it.

I had absolutely no answers tonight. And he was brilliant. And he is in incredible shape, man. Y'all should have saw this man running the floor. I had to, like, turn on my burners a little bit a couple times to, like, keep up with him from running the floor. And he was just going, man. It wasn't like he got tired. Like, he was just going and going.

And, man, shout out to Joker. It's always fun playing against him. I wanted to – I got a lot of respect for Joker. I always have a lot of way to go about his business. obviously a great basketball player. And Joker caught me with the shoulder and the chin, and they didn't call off as a file. And I wrapped him up.

And we just coming back down the court. And he was like, brought that. That was definitely a file. He was like, 100% of file. He's like, but I didn't try to on purpose. And I'm like, no, I know you didn't try to on purpose. Which is why I didn't file you hard and just kind of wrapped you up because I know you didn't try it on purpose.

I love playing against the guys where there's a mutual respect of, like the work that you put in, the work that I put in, there's a healthy competition. And so I always enjoy the honor of playing against Joker. I got it I got a tremendous amount of respect for. And you got to love playing against the grace to see how you stack up and you learn from it. And so like I said, tonight, he got the absolute best of me.

and they won the game, but I had no answers, zero answers tonight. And I'm all right with that. It happens to the best of us. I feel like I've been doing very well defensively. I had no answers tonight. And so the next time we played them, which will be in the playoffs, like you remember that and you're like,

all right, I know I did this and that was all wrong. So I'm going to try these things. Now, because against great players, like, they're always improving. And really, the last time I really played Joker was last year. I don't think I played against them any times this year. So guys like that is always improving, and you have to figure other things out as a defender. You know, so I didn't get it figured out tonight, and that's okay. Jamar Murray also had a very good game.

And, you know, Joker and Jamar Murray in the pick and roll, is devastating. It's one of the toughest covers, if not the toughest cover in the league. Steph and I are probably in that category for totally different reasons, obviously because of Stefan, I'm a great screener,

and then I make some players out there, you know the whole thing. Before y'all, like, oh, Draymond, you're not Joker. Like, of course I'm not Joker, and I'm not claiming to be Joker. So before you go there, it's dead. But anyway,

that pick and roll combination, it really got them going. Once they were able to start connecting on that, Jamal started hitting a couple shots, you got to help a little more hit Joker on the pop back three, and it was kind of dominoing from there. Went into the half-tide of 61-61, but they had taken total control of the game. And came out of the half, and they came out. They went up 75, 65, went up 10 points.

And then we battled back out at the 4. You know, we never really got control of the game again. I think we took a lead at some point again, maybe, but we never really, like, gain ground again. They kind of dominated the game from that point. So you got to get them guys a lot of credit. I thought we did some good things defensively. Aaron Gordon is still playing great basketball.

Aaron Gordon has grown so much. since that playoff series two years ago when we played against those guys. The player that he is today is so much different and better and more physical than he was there. And, you know, you get in the playoffs sometimes, and the playoffs will shock you. And the physicality will shock you. And I think the physicality of the playoffs against Aaron Gordon in 2022 shocked him. Now, think about it. He had been in Orlando most of his career, never really play a bunch of meaningful basketball.

And then you kind of get thrown into that. And I think it's shocked the hell out of him. Well, some people get shocked and they never recover. But those that do recover get better. And Aaron Gordon is a part of that group. Totally different player. Physical as hell. And in 2022, you weren't really worried about his physicality.

He physical as hell. Like he is seeking contact on rebounds. he is seeking contact on post-ups, way more physical. And I think a lot of that stem from the 22 playoffs where he was like, oh, no, I'm coming back better. I'm coming back different. I'm coming back stronger, coming back more physical. And he did that.

And they won a championship in large part due to what he brought to that team last year, and he's still bringing that. So, you know, a lot of respect for Aaron Gordon as a champion. That's a different man. And you got to respect that. Steph obviously had a tough shoot at night. Six for 19. Those happened.

You all, you know, they did a good job defending them. I thought Joker did a great job in the pick and roll, guard in the picking row today. Pope, you scream Pope and he, like, they're screen magnets in this league, and Pope's kind of complete opposite. Like, you scream Pope, number one, he's hard to screen. Number two, if you screen him,

even if you hold the screen, he don't just die and stand there. He's still going to go back chasing stuff. And I thought they did a good job with their coverage. Clay came off the bench firing in the first half. And I think so on me, I got to do a better job of making sure he get more touches in the second half. Although our minutes don't match up as much as they did before, I think it's still my role on his team to make sure that he is getting more shots in the second half.

And, you know, I missed a couple, but they weren't as consistent as. I thought they needed to be in order for him to stay in the groove that he was in. So that falls on me. I got absolutely destroyed by Joker. That falls on me. So pretty much this loss falls on me. And I'm going to take this loss. I'm going to flush it down the toilet.

And we're going to move on to Washington. And we're going to go get back on the winning track. And we're going to go have a great road trip. That is what I am switching my focus to. Jackson wants to know what Joker and I were laughing at. What we were laughing at is I went up to him. I said, hey, can you do my podcast? Can you really do the podcast?

Can you do the podcast? And I don't know if any of y'all saw the clip of Joker at All-Star with Andre Hidalder, asking about the podcast. And Joker's running from him. And so I was kind of making light of that. He said, oh, my God brought that. I'm a bad person. I'm a really bad. I'm a bad person.

I'm a really bad person for that. So I thought that was, that was, that's what we were laughing at. I thought it was hilarious. You've never seen Joker on a podcast. I haven't. Maybe y'all have. I haven't seen it. And if it did, it was probably about horses.

It was not about the Denver Nuggets or no basketball game. But that was that. On to the Western Conference playoff race. We've all had a frustrating experience buying tickets. Even me. You all know I love to go to concert. shows, and it can be hard to find last minute tickets. You shouldn't have to worry when you buy tickets to your next big event.

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Nugget, Sons, Kings win. The 1 through 4 Cs are separated by 2 games. The 5 through 10 Cs are separated by 4 games. At this point in the season, it's kind of when you start paying attention to the standards. Because you know, like, we got 25. games left. You know like every one of them matters and everyday matters and you get on the run right now. Somebody lose a few things can change in a heartbeat. So right now is when you really start diving in, paying attention what's going on around the league, who lost tonight, who won. And tonight would

would have been a huge night for us to win with the teams losing that did. Needless to say, we did not take advantage of that. It's not the end of the world. But now you got to go on this road trip and maybe win one or two that you're technically not supposed to win. And that's okay. I think we're more than capable of doing that, and guys are going to be locked in and focused on that. Hopefully we'll get Chris back on Tuesday. I hope.

I don't know that to be factual. If not Tuesday, hopefully we get them back Thursday. If not Thursday, maybe Friday. And if not Friday, hopefully by Sunday. No, but honestly, it will be good to get CP back in the lineup. up and I know, you know, he's eager to get back out there. You know, and it's that time of year where the competitors want to play. Like, you want to be out there.

You know, it's after the All-Star break, you get that win, and you know it's time to gear up for the playoffs, and this is what we're going for and playing for. So this is a fun time of year, and I think you're going to see guys locked in all around the lead, just knowing, like, what's ahead? And then you'll also see some teams start shipping their cars off to Miami and their summer home in L.A. And, like, you got some of that coming up in the next couple weeks, too.

You know, maybe a little Charlotte, the Charlotte action, you know, a little Detroit, the Detroit action. You know, you start to see those teams like start shipping their cars off. You know, that's just how it goes. then you start to see some teams gearing up like, all right, this is what we're going for, the pretenders and the contenders. It is that time of year. And so, you know, pay attention.

All of a sudden, you see one guy's Instagram story, and it's like a moving truck in front of their house already. And Charlotte, you're like, oh, man, like, what's going on? Like, they were ready to get on up out of here. Shout out to my young boy, Maas. boss. That's my young dog. A lot of respect for Brandon Miller, too. That kid is going to be really good.

But back to the Western Conference playoff race, I'm getting off track a little bit. Let me lock back in. So, we are looking at the standards now. Or at least I am. This is the time of year that I do. And you really start paying attention. We got some games.

I know we still got the Pelicans coming to town. Um, we still got the Lakers at least one more time. Uh, we're done with the Kings. I think we got the clippers at least one more time. So, you know, you're gonna, uh, we're done with the Sons, finished with the Nuggets. Um, we got the Mavericks maybe three times. And so, you know, you can make, you can make your, you know, you can, you can, you kind of can control what you can control, but you need to win those games.

And then some of those games, you lose. them and it's like losing two games because you're losing to that specific team. So we got to make sure we're locked in, winning all the games we need to win, but also in those games in specific, those are big games and you need to be locked in for them. So the Western Conference playoff race is heating up. And the Eastern Conference race is very interesting, which we'll get into with the MVP race. So the MVP race right now, Joker is the favorite on Drive Kings, SGA, Luca, Janus, them the next four.

And I guess after tonight, even if I didn't want to agree that Joe who was the favor, which I didn't disagree with that at all before tonight. But if I wanted to agree, if I wanted to disagree with that, after tonight, you kind of can't say a word. You kind of got to be like, yeah, like it's him because he got the best of me tonight, as I told you all. But anyway, I think it's very interesting to see where Shea has jumped. Lucas at three,

Yonis slipsum and Tatum, J.T., man, J.T. just, yeah, the Celtics are seven and a half games ahead of the number two seat in the Eastern Conference. Do people think the Celtics are that great to where Jason Tatum is only in fifth? Because it seems as if the, like, you know, sometimes it's like that team is winning. and that guy's the best player and playing well.

And like in this situation, clearly that's not the goalposts. Like, clearly the goalpost has shifted dramatically. Because in this guy's case, he's fifth, and they got a seven and a half game league in the conference. That goalpost is moving on JT. I don't know what JT got to do. I do know what JT got to do.

I told you all last time what JT got to do. JT will not be taking serious for the MVP. until he went a championship. And it just hasn't been that way for everybody else. I must say, it was not that way for Joker. It's not that way for Yonnas. It's not that way for Joel.

It just ain't really been that way for everybody else. So I don't know how it ended up that way for J.T. Maybe it's because he got to the NBA finals in Lawson. Everybody's like, oh, like, you had your chance, but, I mean, godly, that's brutal. That's tough. So I'm not sure how JT.

just always lags behind in this voting. Seven and a half games. Godly, that is crazy. And by the way, yes, the boss of Celsius is a good team, but the Denver Nuggets is great. Like, they had a really good team. I don't know. I really don't know what to say.

Yeah, I do know what to say. JT got to go win the NBA finals in order to get taken serious as an MVP. Young fella, I don't know how to goalpost move. Don't you like that? But they should acknowledge it because those are the facts. They should acknowledge you, J.T. Because those are nothing but facts. And in other news before we get out of here,

there was another fight around the NBA. I mean, what is going on with these people? Y'all said, I need help. These people are fighting. Jose Alvarado and Thomas Bryant, the smallest guy and the biggest guy, got to throwing hands. They both got suspended for three games.

I mean, guys, the All-Star break is over. Like, you're supposed to be refreshed. And these guys are out of getting into it. Hey, man. And y'all see it. It ain't Draymond. Not me. These guys are getting into it.

Jimmy Butler and Najee Marshall got suspended for one game apiece. And then the young fellow, Jovich, left the bench. Come on, young fella. Even I know better than that. I've been suspended more games of you to play it in your career. Come on young fella, you can't leave the bench. And who is over there on that bench telling him, hey, man, no. Stay over here.

Don't. That's the, that's the most out. Even my suspension is young fella. They sometimes have to make a decision. Like, all right, we got, like, that's an obvious one. They ain't even got to make a decision, though. You're just getting ding like that, bro. Somebody over there on that Miami bench.

Y'all make sure y'all designate somebody to keep the players off the bench because y'all could have avoided that one with the young fella. Young fella, learn your lesson, though. Don't let them get you with the easiest one. Even mine, they got to make a decision. Don't let them get you like that. And one more thing about these fights in the NBA. NBA. Another night in the NBA, another unwritten rule broken.

Dennis Schroeder, number one, I like Dennis Schroeder, the cool dude. Dennis, you can't hit Mike Conley. Mike Connolly has zero technical files in his NBA career. Zero. You can't hit Mike Connolly. Mike Conley is the nicest person in the NBA, for sure. You can't hit Mike Conlin. Number one. That's an unwritten rule. Can't hit Mike Conlin. Number two, it's 25 seconds left in the game, and they got three seconds left in the shot clock.

Why should someone take the turnover? I just can't for the life of me. I understand this. I just don't get it. And so, because I don't get it, I'm going to propose something. In the spirit of suspending people, we got to get some suspension. going for this unwritten rule being broken and people then like losing their minds. If the unwritten rule is broken and someone reacts to the unwritten rule in the way like

guys are reacting to this unwritten rule being broken, it should be an automatic one game suspension like leaving the bench or something like that. And you all know I'm not an advocate for people getting suspended because why would I be an advocate for anyone getting suspended? It doesn't quite make sense. but like this is this has to stop like it's embarrassing to the guy who gets mad and say like oh you you you you were up and you shot again like this is basketball there's no mercy rule this is the NBA okay you don't want to lose win the game but the unwritten rule has to stop and it has to stop now so I'm calling

on our commissioner our great commissioner Adam silver Joe D somebody petition committee, this unwritten rule, it has to be some writing about it because it's pretty played out and I don't get it. That's a wrap from this episode of the Draymond Green Show. I appreciate y'all watching and checking this out. Make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel. Don't want to miss any episodes. We have another interview with a goat. Bye. Was that good? We got another interview with a goat dropping this week. that you do not want to miss. Check it out.

Until next time, peace.