Draymond: 'There are still doubters. I'll find them somewhere'

If you're a player who feeds off of criticism and doubt, it's gotta be tough to keep the fire burning when you're an All-Star, Defensive Player of the Year runner-up, and top seven MVP vote-getter for arguably the greatest team in NBA history.

Such is the predicament Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green finds himself in these days. Now that he's transcended his status as a second-round pick, quieted any doubt about his ability to develop a well-rounded offensive game, and cemented himself as a top-10 player in the league, Green has to be extra vigilant about finding every bit of motivational fuel possible.

"I think it's cool to read that Draymond Green is transcending the NBA," Green told Sports Illustrated's Lee Jenkins. "I also think it's cool to read that Draymond Green is terrible."

Green said he reads everything about himself. He said he sleeps with his TV on, channel tuned to ESPN with the volume up, just in case anyone happens to drag his name through the dirt.

"There are still doubters," he said. "I'll find them somewhere."

Those doubters may be easier to come by today than they were yesterday, after the Warriors blew a 13-point halftime lead to lose Monday night's Game 1 to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference finals. It's the first time the Warriors have trailed in a series this postseason, and it should make Wednesday's Game 2 a tense, desperate affair.

That ought to suit Green just fine.

​"Draymond is comfortable in conflict," Warriors general manager Bob Myers told Jenkins. "He does not want to live in a copacetic world."

Green echoed that sentiment.

"Everything can't be sweet," he said. "Everything can't be peaches and cream. There are times I feel like I just have to start yelling at people. I don't even know about what. It doesn't even matter."

So, yeah, somebody is probably getting yelled at Wednesday night.