Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green. Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Draymond Green made a promise to his teammates before Game 7

By Sai Mohan | Last updated May 5, 2025 8:39 AM ET

Draymond Green ensured that the Warriors' Game 7 win over the Rockets on Sunday was free of antics and extracurricular activities.

The temperamental Green made a promise to his teammates before the high-stakes game while admitting that he lost his cool in Game 6 with an early flagrant foul and "pouted" the rest of the way. In Game 6, he was minus-8 on the floor, committed four turnovers and could not stop the Rockets from having their way in the interior.

The script flipped in Game 7 as Green was a plus-18, finishing with 16 points, six rebounds, five assists and two blocks. After the series-clincher, Steve Kerr revealed the details of Green's apology speech.

"Basically, he owned up to losing his poise in Game 6, and I agreed with him," Kerr said of Green. "I thought the flagrant foul four minutes into the game was a tone-setter, and he knew it and so he talked to the group last night and said, 'I got to be poised and I have to be better, and we're going to come in here tomorrow and get it done.' And I think his emotional stability tonight, just his poise from the start, set a great tone."

Steve Kerr said Draymond Green “set the tone” in a team meeting last night in Houston, admitting his early flagrant cost them in Game 6 and ensuring he’d keep his poise in Game 7 pic.twitter.com/e73latWuZl
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) May 5, 2025

Green was admittedly "embarrassed" in the 48 hours leading into Sunday's Game 7 due to his subpar Game 6.

"I pouted way too much last game," he said. "...I've been dying since the last game ended to get out on the floor and prove who I am."

"I spent the last 2 days embarrased at what I gave to the game." ️

Draymond opens up about what fueled his inspired play in Game 7 pic.twitter.com/SQBxTBPZYe
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 5, 2025

Meanwhile, Buddy Hield, the hero of Golden State's Game 7 win, said he got "chills" after listening to Green's inspirational pregame speech.

Green catches a lot of flak for his antics, but he came through in a big way in Golden State's first-round series win. The defensive ace held Alperen Sengun to 39 percent shooting (23-of-59) and Jalen Green to 25 percent (6-of-24) as the primary matchup on the pair of Rockets stars. He also did a number on Amen Thompson (5-of-16) and Fred VanVleet (3-of-12).

The perennial All-Defensive star will now try to slow down Anthony Edwards and Co. in the Western Conference semifinals starting Tuesday.

Sai Mohan

A veteran sportswriter based in Portugal, Sai covers the NBA for Yardbarker and a few local news outlets. He had the honor of covering sporting events across four different continents as a newspaper reporter. Some of his all-time favorite athletes include Mike Tyson, Larry Bird, Luís Figo, Ayrton Senna and Steffi Graf.

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