Green: Warriors made defensive plan just 15 minutes before blowout loss to Celtics

Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green has revealed his team’s defensive strategy was made a mere 15 minutes before their destruction at the hands of the Boston Celtics on Sunday evening.

The Warriors were ending a four-game road trip on the East Coast, stringing together victories against the Washington Wizards, New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors earlier in the week. That meant Green and co. had won 11 of their last 13 games, pulling themselves back into play-off contention.

The feel-good mood was brought to a halt with a 52-point blowout in Boston, though, as the Celtics became the first team in NBA history to rack up a 50+ point margin of victory three times in a single season.

Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 29 points, while birthday boy Jayson Tatum piled on a further 27, helping the imperious hosts extend their winning streak to 11 games.

The demolition marked the fourth-biggest loss in Warriors history, and the third-biggest win ever enjoyed by the storied Celtics.

To pile on the misery for the visitors, Boston also raced out to a franchise-record 44-point lead by half-time. Green, though, might have seen it coming.

The four-time NBA champion told his media scrum after the 140-88 defeat that the Warriors’ defensive planning only came together a quarter-hour before tip-off at TD Garden.

Green said: “I don’t think we played a full defensive strategy. We implemented our strategy… 15 minutes before we left the locker room. So I don’t necessarily think we put together a full defensive strategy to debate on.”

“It didn’t work. Oh well. We move on. I thought it was fun to try. I was actually all for it.”

However, given the run of form beforehand, the 34-year-old was still pleased with the Warriors’ cross-country travels: “It was a successful trip.

“We came here with a free swing [after a] 3-0 road trip. It didn’t work. We’re fine. It’s one game. This ain’t their first rodeo – we’ve got young guys with a championship ring. It’s fine. It’s been a long trip. It was good.”

Coach Steve Kerr was equally dismissive of the importance of the loss, telling his post-game press conference: “Flush it down the toilet. Boston was amazing. We weren’t beating them today.”

Kerr’s men now have a few days of rest before a three-game home stand, taking on the Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs in California this week.

Meanwhile, Boston face the Cleveland Cavaliers next, before a sterner test against the reigning champion Denver Nuggets in their next live game on TNT Sports, in the early hours of Friday morning GMT.

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