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Kyrie Irving Aghast By Draymond Green’s IQ; Delves Into Warriors’ Winning Formula

Published 04/03/2024, 6:31 AM EDT

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USA Today via Reuters

The Dubs held their nerves to produce a clutch victory at home against the Mavs. Despite the Golden State Warriors‘ offensive brilliance, Draymond Green put up a masterclass performance at the defensive end. He not only strangled the Dallas Mavericks offense but also left Kyrie Irving in utter disbelief with his basketball IQ.

During the post-game press conference, the 8x NBA All-Star listed the contents of Green’s arsenal. A reporter asked Irving about the threats that DrayMagic brought to the floor and without any hesitation, Irving jumped right into it, lauding the Dubs star. He said, “He’s always mucking the game up, that’s always been Dre’s personality… that’s not just like on the physical end, it’s just on the IQ. He has a very very high IQ.”

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Kyrie Irving spoke about Draymond Green‘s game, straight after witnessing it in the middle of the Chase Centre. The Dubs-Mavs clash went down to the wire, and it was anyone’s game. However, Green didn’t let the game slide past them, as he created massive offensive and defensive plays to take a 104-100 win.

Notably, around the 1-minute mark in the last quarter, Green produced a dominant block near the rim against Daniel Gafford and stole the ball, keeping the 6-point lead alive.

Irving didn’t just stop at praising Green’s IQ but also decoded his game. He revealed how Green switched between his physical play and IQ. Uncle Drew said, “When he’s going against guys that are a little bit more athletic, he uses his brain a little bit more and if he’s going against smaller guys… he uses physicality.” Along with that, he also added how Green facilitated the Dubs’ offense by passing the ball in the right spot and also by setting screens.

Is Draymond Green the Warriors’ winning formula?

Firstly, Kyrie Irving’s statement almost stood as a testament to Green’s ‘winning formula’ title. Further speaking of the 4x NBA Champ, he also added, He’s [Dray] been a winner for a large portion of his NBA career.” Even though Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson shoot daggers from the perimeter, it has been Green who orchestrated most of them.

Speaking of Green’s playmaking, Uncle Drew said, ” He’s mastered given those guys great passes and mastered hitting them in their shot pockets.” Last night, Green had a wholesome game, recording 11 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals and a crucial block.

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That particular block play against Daniel Gafford garnered a lot of praise from his teammates and coach Steve Kerr. The Dubs HC said, “That was probably the key defensive play of the game.” 

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The veteran point guard Chris Paul said, “I told Dray, ‘That might be one of the best plays I done ever seen in my career, and I’m not exaggerating, man.'”

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Green has produced back-to-back brilliant outings to widen the gap between the Houston Rockets. Next up, the Dubs take on the Rockets themselves. Will Green help the team send a strong goodbye to the H-Town? Let us know in the comments.

Draymond Green’s ‘Toxic Temper’: 4 Individuals Keep Him in Check, Even After Getting Bullied In School

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Written by:

Shahul Hameed

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Shahul Hameed is a Senior NBA Writer at EssentiallySports. Armed with a Master's Degree in journalism from a distinguished institute, his journey into sports writing began during his college days, and since then, Shahul has been captivated not only by the remarkable consistency of Stephen Curry but also by the enduring legacy of LeBron James. He specializes in covering the live basketball action.
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Edited by:

Shivatmika Manvi