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NBA

Warriors' Draymond Green is confident they will be champions

After a sensational return to the court on Monday night, the Warriors' Draymond Green confidently declared that they will be champions once again.

Update:
After a sensational return to the court on Monday night, the Warriors' Draymond Green confidently declared that they will be champions once again.
AFP

After returning to the court on Monday night where he helped his team to a win over the Washington Wizards, the Warriors' Draymond Green declared that they will be Champions once again.

The Warriors' star trio is back together again

On Monday night Steph Curry celebrated his 34th birthday with a win against the Washington Wizards, however, perhaps the proverbial cherry on top of the cake was the return of Draymond Green. Indeed it was Green's first game in almost three months and more importantly the first time in two and a half years that the pair were playing alongside Klay Thompson who recently returned from a long term injury. With a 126-112 victory in the bag it was most definitely a night to remember for Golden State. "To play with those guys again, it's extremely special," said Green. "When it's not all three of us out there, there's still a void there. It's still empty. At least that's what I know I felt for the last two and a half years."

For his part, Green's impact was instantaneous. It took just 11 seconds before it was a case of getting back to their old ways when he fed Curry for a wing 3-pointer. Green later admitted that Curry had called the play as soon as he entered the game. Indeed, both players could be seen smiling at each other as they got back to defense. "The chessboard changes with Draymond out there with Steph. Everything looks and feels a little bit different, and it's tougher to navigate defensively for our opponent," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said after the game. "And I haven't even mentioned his defense yet. Draymond changes everything for us."

How important is Green's return to the Warriors?

Though the Warriors are now on a four game win streak and in the hunt for the No.2 seed in the Western Conference, the reality is that things haven't always been great this season. Quite frankly, the Warriors have struggled without Green this season. That dip in form has even extended to Steph Curry himself, who has been on the receiving end of much criticism during the campaign. On Monday night, however, it was plain to see what the Warriors had been missing for sometime. For his part Curry turned in a performance to remember with 47 points on 16-of-25 shooting. For context, 41 of those points came with Green on the court.

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Speaking about his return and the opportunity to be on the court with Curry once again, Green was candid. "I miss it a lot. When I'm not out there and I'm watching, I see things that can be done that can help him out," he said. "He's the greatest shooter we've ever seen, but you still have to screen, and you still have to find him in good spots and make sure he gets shots and easy looks, as opposed to tough looks all the time."

Draymond Green believes the Warriors will be champions

On the night Green finished with six points, seven rebounds, six assists and was a game-high plus-24 in 20 minutes. A better return could not have been scripted. Post game Green was on hand and as per usual he displayed his well known confidence. "Whether we're the No. 2 seed or No. 3 seed, we're going to win a championship," Green said. "Don't really matter. I called it months ago." The question now remains, whether or not the Warriors can deliver on their forward's prediction.

With Monday's win, the Warriors moved 29-6 when Green plays, which is to say that his effect is clear and evident. Can he help reignite what was previously the league's best defense and in turn play his part in a run for the title? Considering that the Warriors can once again count on their star trio as well as the likes of Jordan Poole, it could be argued that it would be quite a risk to bet against them. If nothing else maybe the words of Klay Thompson capture the team's sentiment best. "I'm too much of a competitor to sit up here and doubt our team, or give another team the nod over us," Thompson said after Monday's game. "No chance."