Warriors Lose After Draymond Green’s ‘Smartest Dumb Play in History’

In Tuesday’s Hot Clicks: The Warriors lose a heartbreaker, another massive game for UConn freshman Paige Bueckers and more.

Nice try, though

The Warriors dropped into a tie for eighth place in the Western Conference after losing a tight one to the Spurs on Monday night. The game came down to the final seconds before Draymond Green literally threw it away in a move that had viewers scratching their heads.

With 8.7 seconds on the clock, Green ended up with the ball in his hands near the midcourt logo after a busted inbound play. As Spurs guard Derrick White approached, Green threw up a wild shot attempt that didn’t even get close to going in.

"What was Draymond Green thinking?!" 🤣💀pic.twitter.com/p3yU1dAAzO

— The Crossover (@TheCrossover) February 9, 2021

This seemed, at first, like an epic blunder, like Green had no idea how much time was on the clock. But he explained after the game that he was anticipating that the Spurs would foul him.

“I assumed [White] was about to foul,” Green said. “Pop is known for fouling in those situations. [White] had his hands out, and I also knew we didn’t have any more timeouts left.

“I felt like that was the smartest dumb play in history. I thought most people would see that and put two and two together on what’s actually going on there. Very smart play that ended up being dumb as hell.”

"I feel like that was the smartest dumb play in history... very smart play that ended up being dumb as h--l." pic.twitter.com/T1szjBdYx9

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) February 9, 2021

Green’s play might not have been as smart as he thought, either. He was under the impression that Gregg Popovich’s Spurs are known for fouling while up by three late in the game. But Warriors coach Steve Kerr said that’s not the case.

“It’s probably my fault for not informing the team that the Spurs don’t usually foul,” Kerr told reporters. “We knew we had 8.7 seconds to drive and kick—plenty of options with that kind of time—and so we were just trying to spread the floor and get a good look.”

That’s a mistake Draymond won’t make again.

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