The Golden State Warriors are on the verge of being eliminated in the playoffs in the most shocking of ways. In a season where they won a historic 73 games, more than any other team in league history, everyone expected a second championship in as many years. Yet, the Dubs are now facing elimination, down 3-1 to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals.
One of the major keys to the Warriors’ collapse has been the play of Draymond Green. The power forward has struggled, especially in games three and four, playing nowhere at the level that we are accustomed to seeing.
If the Warriors are to mount a monumental comeback, they are going to need their versatile forward to play with the utmost focus. Fortunately, Green is receiving motivation to do the unthinkable and that motivation is coming from a player who often did just that in his long career: Kobe Bryant.
Green discussed the Warriors’ struggles in a video for Bleacher Report’s “Uninterrupted” series and shared a tidbit about the support he received from the Los Angeles Lakers’ legend:
“I got a text from Kobe. He said, ‘If making history was easy, why bother?'”
What a perfect Kobe quote.
Bryant made a living doing things that seemed impossible. A 15-1 playoff run, an 81 point game, 62 points in three quarters, and 60 points in his send-off. Receiving motivation from Kobe to do what now seems like the tallest of tasks should be the spark Draymond needs to get going in this series. (Side note: can someone hook me up with daily Kobe texts to get me motivated? That’d be nice.)
That said, Lakers fans may not be completely pleased with Kobe’s decision to help the Warriors because the sooner they are eliminated, the sooner they can see coach Luke Walton in Los Angeles.
