Why this is the best version of Draymond Green yet

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As the final seconds wind down in the first quarter of the Western Conference finals against the Dallas Mavericks, Spencer Dinwiddie drives toward the right side of the paint. Draymond Green is already anticipating a pass from Dinwiddie in the left corner.

When the Mavs guard starts to make a pass, Green explodes across the paint, zeroing in on Finney-Smith and rejecting the Dallas forward's catch-and-shoot 3 back toward the Mavs bench with 5.3 seconds left.

Green screamed as he walked by Mark Cuban and Dirk Nowitzki.

The Warriors took a 10-point lead in the first quarter. Green scored on a layup when Dallas was within two points in the second quarter. Green flexes his arms and stares at Kleber as he converts the 3-point play.

Green held the Mavericks to 4-for-15 shooting as the primary defender, including 0-for-9 from behind the 3-point line, which was tied for the third-most misses against a single defender from 3 since 2004.

The Warriors defeated the Mavericks 112-87 in the first game of the playoffs.

Doncic said on the eve of the Western Conference finals that he has a lot of respect for Draymond. Draymond is the key to the Warriors. He is just unbelievable.

The NBA playoffs run through June, when the league will crown a champion for its 75th season.

The Celtics defeated the Heat in the East finals.

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• How Boston keeps bouncing back

• How vintage Butler took over Game 1

The Warriors defeated the Mavs in the West finals.

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• How Warriors went old school

• Wiggins, Warriors limit Luka in Game 1

Scores, full schedule and more.

Three years have passed since Green returned to this stage. After the Warriors lost to the Raptors in the NBA Finals, he watched as Thompson and Curry were injured. Golden State missed the playoffs without those two. He shot a dismal 38.9% from the field, the lowest since his freshman season, in 43 games during the season.

Green said that not being in the playoffs the previous two seasons was brutal.

We did not leave the space because we were too old to do it. Toronto beat us, but no one has said that the time is up for the Golden State Warriors.

The fiery leader of the Warriors is eager to remind everyone what he can do again, but he is also ready to show he is the best version of Draymond.

Green says that people had a hard time dealing with him before. I am now in a better space than I was before. Not even close. It was much better than it was before.

During the Warriors run to five straight NBA Finals, Green said he has never been more locked in and mentally and defensively. He is allowing the most points as a close defender in the playoffs in the Steve Kerr era.

After the injuries to his teammates, the many losses and the failure to impact the game, Green says he is at the top of his defensive powers as the Warriors look to take a three-game lead over Dallas on Sunday.

Green said that he feels like he is at the highest level of mental capacity he has ever been.

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Green sat in the locker room as the Warriors gathered on the floor for shootaround hours before the game.

Adreian Payne, Green's former Michigan State teammate and roommate, was shot and killed in Florida hours earlier.

Green was excused by Kerr to go home. He joined his teammates on the court that morning and lost himself in the game for 48 minutes, as he would tell ESPN after Golden State's 101-98 Game 4 victory.

Green delivered perhaps the biggest play of the game with a block on Jaren Jackson Jr.

Green's grief set back in after the high from coming back from 12 down to beat the Grizzles.

Green apologized to the media for not taking any questions and said that he was losing his emotion from the game. I am going to go home and just sit and talk.

If I need to cry, I can pause that. I don't like to cry in front of people.

Green credited his growing family for his newfound perspective ten days prior to Payne's death, a trait he struggled with as a younger player.

What my kids have done has given me perspective on what matters and how to react to it.

Green's emotions got the best of him early in his career. With his family, Green learned to deal with issues with patience.

Green said there was a way of working through that. How to react to those things is something they have taught me.

Green has been given added motivation by a five-year-old DJ. Green's children were too young to understand how much he won. Several people close to Green say this is the best mental space they have seen him in, because DJ has been around the team for practices and games.

Kerr said that it helped him to see DJ rebound in practice, sitting on the sidelines.

Green has been teaching Jordan, Jonathan, and Gary how to play defense. Warriors defensive coordinator Mike Brown said part of Green's greatness this season has been lifting a unit with some players not known as defenders.

The energy he brought, how locked in he was, how focused, he is already a vocal person but the things he would talk about, how detail, was a completely different Draymond. He was engaged all 48 games.

The Miami Heat and Boston Celtics played to a tie in the NBA Eastern Conference finals. You can watch the action on ABC.

The fourth game of the series will be played on Mon., Heat at Celtics.

Game 5: Wed., Celtics at Heat (ESPN)

Game 6*: May 27, Heat at Celtics (ESPN)

Game 7*: May 29, Celtics at Heat (ESPN)

*If necessary

All games at 8:30 p.m. ET

The Warriors have made the Finals in the past, but this defense has a lot more responsibility.

Kerr said this has been the best year for him in terms of internal leadership.

Green still has his famously explosive edge.

Brown said he told Green to keep that fire going. We need you to keep the fire going, and we are going to be good.

Memphis fans got a taste of the old Green in the opening minutes of the conference semifinals. Green walked to the locker room to be treated for a possible concussion after he was hit in the head with an elbow.

On his way to the tunnel, Green heard jeers from the Memphis crowd and gestured to them. He said it felt good to flip them off because they were booing him as he was bleeding. If the Memphis fans were going to be nasty, Green said he could be too.

He played 32 minutes in the loss, finishing with 10 rebound, 7 assists and 6 points. During Golden State's 126-117 win in Game 2 against Dallas on Friday, Green pushed the limits with officials with one technical foul but didn't earn a second before eventually fouling out in 28 minutes.

Tom Izzo, the Michigan State men's basketball coach, was in the stands in Memphis when Green flipped off the fans. He has been in the right frame of mind through most of the year. He can react to all these things with his basketball IQ if he is in the right frame of mind.

He is a piece of art watching him defensively.

Green got a manicure and pedicure in Los Angeles a day after digging his nails into Jokic.

He and his fiancée, Hazel Renee, took a day off from work to go to a spa.

The way Green saw it, he had earned some attention after facing Jokic. Green says this was his most challenging defensive assignment, even though Jokic and the Nuggets only won one game against Golden State.

When the series ended, Green thanked Jokic for making him better.

Green said he was 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 It takes a certain level of thinking to outthink someone at such a high level.

Every possession was a chess match.

Jokic's numbers were in line with his regular-season production. When the center needed a basket the most, Green rose to the occasion.

The Nuggets inbounded to Jokic with 40.8 seconds left in the game. The Green saw that Jokic was dribbling away from his body and that the center backed down. Golden State took a 2-0 lead in the series when Green swiped the ball from his left hand and it spun back to his right hand for a steal.

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I always told him to put it in his bag when he needed it, said Bennie Baber, Green's uncle.

Green said that he feels like he is on the defensive end because he knows how guys get in the rhythm on the offensive end.

Green will be back in the place that makes him happy if Golden State can solve Doncic.

Green said that he has more gratitude for each game.

There might not be many more of these runs with the Warriors.

Kerr said that they are no longer the team with a 10-year runway ahead of them. This is close to the sun. It is close to the end.

It's... We would like to think we have a few years left. It is a different vibe.

The mission is the same. Green wants the Warriors to be the kings again. The best version of himself was at his peak.

How much better can I make this team if I can be that much better? That is how I feel.