Decidedly, Danny Green had things to say. While he said in an end-of-season press conference that the Sixers had skipped stages and stayed in their comfort zone this year, he shed some light on the team’s mentality, still on John Clark’s podcast.
“I’m not saying we didn’t respect the Hawks, but the team expected to win – skipping stages and expecting victory to come, but not making it happen. . We thought we were a better team and I think a lot of people could say the same. ”
Unfortunately, nothing went as planned and Philly took the door.
“But they played better, they were in better shape and we didn’t take our opportunity. We did not take them seriously and we skipped the steps. We thought it would happen without doing anything about it, and it comes with maturity. ”
For his part, Green brooded his injury and thinks his absence has been detrimental beyond pure basketball.
“I was there, sitting on the edge of the field, thinking that maybe I could have brought something to the level of this maturity. There is no guarantee of that, we don’t know, but I like to think that I could have made a little difference and that we could have at least been able to pass an extra lap. Who knows, we could have, we could have, we should have … But it didn’t happen. Healthier teams are usually the last to stay in the race. And because we weren’t, we got out quickly. ”
Further than the state of form of the troops, Danny Green seems to denounce many shortcomings for a candidate team declared for the trophy Larry O’brien.
“Since the first day, when Doc Rivers arrived, I knew there was a lot to do and especially for him. I’m not saying it was a bad organization or a bad team, but I can say that some habits had to change. We can say that a lot of things had to change. It wasn’t going to happen overnight. It was something that was going to take months, maybe a year or two. And we managed to settle it together faster than I expected and in real life we even won more than I imagined. That’s why we were so disappointed, because we knew we had a golden opportunity, with the potential of this team, how strong we could have been… ”
And despite progressing faster than he imagined, Father Danny expects players to do more. And better. While trusting the management to settle all this.
“From day one, I thought it would take a while for this team to do things right, get them in order and acquire this winning culture, this atmosphere and these habits of doing things the right way. way and to be the best professionals. In fact, the guys have actually adjusted and adjusted quite well, for the most part, but there is still a way to go. I’m sure Doc will take care of it. I am sure that Daryl Morey will make the right decisions and make the necessary movements. Elton Brand is a key element in this area. I’m curious to see how it will go with the draft and the free agency. ”
Triple NBA champion with the Spurs (2014), the Raptors (2019) and the Lakers (2020), Green also seeks to instill the win in his young teammates. And he seems to take this mentoring role seriously alongside the other veterans.
“I think they all love the game and want to win. It is of course important to them. Obviously Joel showed a little more by showing his emotions. It’s just that they’re not very good at saying it in the media or by other means. But all the guys here want to be competitive, to win and to be great. You can see it in their daily activities, how they operate. They just don’t know it yet. They just need some guidance and that’s where Doc comes in. This is where I, Dwight (Howard) and George (Hill) come in and teach them how to win. ”
Finally, he reminds everyone that a title is not won only on the field and that the road to it begins well before the regular season.
“It doesn’t start with the matches, on the pitch, in the jump ball. It all starts long before. It starts during the preseason, with the stretching, how you act on the move, how you manage to be on time on the plane. Little things like that. Habits kind of like being there for your teammate every day and supporting them. These are the habits you need to build from day one to build a title winning team. ”
And while he will be a free agent this summer, Danny Green feels like we want him a little more in Pennsylvania.
“I have a feeling they want me back”
Danny Green had a lot to say, the message got through. It remains to be seen whether this will be heard and especially listened to.
Via “>Takeoff with John Clark
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