With the season hanging by a thread, the Golden State Warriors refused to pack their bags yet. A gritty play-in tournament win against the LA Clippers handed them another lifeline, one that wouldn’t have existed just a few years ago. Yet as the celebration settled, the system that extended their season also carried a divide within the locker room, as Draymond Green had contrasting views with Steve Kerr.
Facing the loud Intuit Dome crowd, the Warriors spent much of their games trailing behind the Clippers. However, the team turned things around at the right time. Later, three-pointers from Al Horford and Stephen Curry shifted the momentum while Draymond Green delivered a defensive masterclass. Speaking of the turnaround in the postgame presser, a reporter asked Steve Kerr about the mindset behind it. But all Kerr could say was “Thank you, Adam (Silver).”
“We’re lucky to even be here. If this were seven or eight years ago, we’d be on vacation already. So, I want to thank the league for creating the play-in tournament,” said Steve Kerr, despite the valiant effort. The injuries tied the team down to the 10th over the last few weeks, leading to tough losses. Now, they have a shot at the playoffs. However, for this very reason, Draymond Green didn’t like the idea of the Play-in tournament, as he recently said, “To have a team stuck in 10th, it ain’t working.”
Draymond Green on if the Play-In Tournament is still good for the NBA:
“To have a team stuck in 10th, it ain’t working. We could have lost our last 15 games and been stuck in 10th. It ain’t working… we wanna make the playoffs so it works I guess.” pic.twitter.com/qbpEmKtmWx
— KNBR (@KNBR) April 8, 2026
The NBA introduced the Play-in tournament in 2020 to keep more teams competitive at the end of the season. An innovative introduction to reduce tanking. While it did include 9th- and 10th-seeded teams in the competitive sphere, other teams’ needles barely moved. For this very reason, DrayMagic dismissed the idea. He added, “You lose your last 15 games of the season and are still stuck in 10th. It ain’t working. The Play-in was made for teams not to tank. That’s the part that everyone forgets.”
At the same time, as a beneficiary of the tournament, he concluded, “We wanna make the playoffs so it works, I guess.” Despite their reservation about the system, Draymond Green made it clear that results ultimately matter more than format debates. The process is simple: embrace the opportunity and prove their worth when the moment arrives.
Can Draymond Green and Steve Kerr make maximum use of Play-In?
The Warriors went through a rough season, dealing with multiple injuries. Struggling to maintain their rhythm, the team came to a point where they put all their hopes in the Play-in and expected everyone to get fit. “We’re just happy to have a shot,” said Kerr.
“Just give us a chance. And, um, somehow we were offered an opportunity after what was a really difficult season and what our guys are made of tonight, and we’ll see what we can do on Friday.”
The legendary coach has already set his eyes on the Friday matchup against the Phoenix Suns at the Valley. Devin Booker & Co. just faced a disheartening loss at the hands of the Trail Blazers and would look for a rebound. So, it’s up to the Warriors to carry the momentum forward and extend their season.
They can take inspiration from the 2022-23 Miami Heat, who reached the Finals after qualifying through the Play-in. If the stars align, we could be in for a treat!
