May 5, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) reacts after a basket against the Memphis Grizzlies during the second quarter in game two of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
After starting the postseason with five consecutive victories, the Warriors have tasted defeat for the first time in these playoffs. After an emotional night that saw Stephen Curry receive the NBA MVP Award, the Warriors lost home court advantage and now head to Memphis with the series tied at 1-1.
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Curry and the Warriors need to shoot the ball better and limit the turnovers. It also helps that they won’t be receiving any more individual awards from the NBA that could distract them from their ultimate goal. According to Marc Spears of Yahoo Sports, Draymond Green finished second for the NBA’s Most Improved Player of the Year Award:
Bulls’ Jimmy Butler wins NBA’s Most Improved Player award. Warriors’ Draymond Green finishes second while Utah’s Rudy Gobert finishes third.
— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) May 7, 2015
Once again Green comes in second for an award this season. Jimmy Butler is a worthy recipient of the award, but Green also had a case. You can’t help but to think if Green was affected by the East coast bias, but at least it went to Butler who truly deserved the recognition.
Green has come a long way since being drafted 35th overall in the 2012 NBA Draft. Not too many second rounders finish second in two major award categories and in those two instances he had a very compelling case to be the recipient.
For Green, his only focus is on one particular trophy.