National Basketball Association

Warriors have seen this before, and it shows

Updated May. 11, 2023 12:18 p.m. ET

SAN FRANCISCO – Draymond Green was calm.

So what if his Golden State Warriors were on the brink of elimination?

So what if it could've been the last game he, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson played together? So what if so much was on the line?

For Green, the task ahead was simple, something he broke down on his podcast ahead of his team's 121-106 win over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5.

"We've been here before," Green said on his podcast, "The Draymond Green Show." "You go win one game, all the pressure flips. You go back to [Crypto.com Arena], 3-2. Essentially puts them in a must-win situation. No one wants to go on the road for a Game 7."

That kind of thinking is what makes the Warriors so dangerous. While some people cannot see the forest for the trees, these Warriors are able to hone in on one tree with such intense focus that they're able to blur out the so-called forest, mitigating the crushing pressure.

For them, the task was just winning one game. Check. The next game is Friday in Los Angeles. It's that simple. There's no intimidatingly wide chasm they have to leap over.

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"We have a lot of confidence that we can come back in this series," said Curry, who finished with a game-high 27 points, eight assists and three rebounds.

And why shouldn't he?

The Warriors haven't lost a playoff series to a Western Conference team since 2014. In other words, whenever they've qualified for the playoffs over the past eight years, they've reached the Finals. It's a stunning stat, especially considering they've reached the postseason six times over that period.

"We've figured out all of the puzzles in the course of our history in the playoffs," Curry said. "I was calm mostly because you remember to just have fun and enjoy this experience and the opportunity that we have to play at this level."

Fun? With what's at stake? That really says it all. For Curry, his approach to these big moments is staying loose and losing himself in the competition.

For Thompson, it's always believing his next shot is going to swish through the net, even on nights when he has 10 points on 3-for-12 shooting.

For Green, it's making sure he's especially fiery. So, he made sure to find lots of added motivation.

Green focused on player development coach Jacob Rubin telling him before the game, "I haven't felt your presence [in this series]."

"I felt a little disrespected when he said it," Green said. "So, I knew it was on me to come out set the tone for our guys."

He also drew inspiration from seeing his former coach at Michigan State, Tom Izzo, cheering for him in the stands.

"When he's in the building it just always lights a fire under me," Green said.

Green went on to finish with 20 points on 7-for-11 shooting, 10 rebounds, four assists and two steals.

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The thing about these Warriors is there isn't much they haven't seen. The team's superstars know how to get themselves in the right mindset. And they know what it takes to defy the odds.

Curry, Thompson and Green have stormed back from a 3-1 series deficit before against Oklahoma City in the 2016 Western Conference finals.

And just 2 1/2 weeks ago, they became the first defending champion to win a first-round series after falling in a 2-0 hole, beating Sacramento.

Their unflappable trust in themselves is contagious.

It inspired Gary Payton II to be an energizer battery, finishing with 13 points and the highest plus-minus rating of anyone on the court (+25). It inspired Andrew Wiggins to have his best game since returning from a two-month absence, finishing with 25 points on 10-for-18 shooting, seven rebounds and five assists, while also being tasked with defending LeBron James.

"You know how confident they are and encouraging and just making everyone believes that we can do this," Wiggins said. "Just day-by-day and game-by-game, possession-by-possession, just giving ourself a fighting chance."

Now, as Green predicted, the pressure is on the Lakers in many ways.

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Technically only the Warriors will be facing elimination in Game 6. But, in reality, it's a must-win for the Lakers, too. There's no way they want to face a group of guys who have won four championships together on their home court in a Game 7.

James knows this all too well. He faced the Warriors in four straight Finals. Throughout this series, he has gushed about how much he respects Curry. And he has shown the requisite fear when talking about his team, saying after Game 4 that "it is not possible" to feel comfortable against the Warriors.

Now, things are reaching a tipping point.

Will the Warriors pull off yet another improbable comeback? Or will the league's most recent dynasty finally be pushed over the edge?

"It's going to be on us," Green said, "to go in there and take it."

Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the league for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, the Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @melissarohlin.

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