National Basketball Association

Draymond Green thought the Warriors' motto was 'corny' when he first heard it

Published Jun. 3, 2016 5:09 p.m. ET

Aaron Torres

Ever since Steve Kerr arrived in Golden State, the team has lived by the motto "strength in numbers." The phrase has become as synonymous with the team as a Steph Curry jumper, or a Draymond Green kick to the ... well, never mind.

But while the phrase rolls off the tongue of everyone in the Bay Area right now, that wasn't always the case. As a matter of fact, one prominent Warrior didn't like it at all.

That would be Draymond Green, who told reporters at Friday's NBA Finals media availability that when he first heard the phrase, well, ahh, he wasn't a fan.

However, regardless of what Draymond thought of the term at the time, he also admitted Friday that it's something that both he and his teammates now "live by." That was never more apparent than in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, when Steph Curry and Klay Thompson struggled, and the team still cruised to a 15-point victory thanks to, well, the strength in the Warriors numbers.

As a matter of fact, performances like Game 1 were exactly what Kerr had in mind when he came up with the phrase.

He explained its origins on Friday.

Clearly Kerr put a lot of thought into both the phrase and its presentation, and clearly that work has paid off.