With Tom Izzo present, Draymond Green dominates Lakers

Tom Izzo was in attendance for the Lakers vs. Warriors game on Wednesday night and Draymond Green dominated.

On Tuesday night, it was Michigan State football coach Mel Tucker that was present for a huge NBA playoff matchup. On Wednesday, it was Hall of Fame basketball coach Tom Izzo’s turn.

With the Golden State Warriors on the brink of elimination versus the Los Angeles Lakers, Izzo was present to support his former Spartans, Max Christie and Draymond Green. Izzo is no stranger to NBA arenas. He shows up regularly to support former players. Earlier this season Izzo was present to watch former Spartans Xavier Tillman and Jaren Jackson Jr. in Memphis.

In a pregame interview, Izzo said of Draymond Green:

“You know what he’s at the top of the list of? Making winning plays. I don’t know if he’s the best player. There’s a lot of good players out there, but he might be the best winner.”

Izzo went on to compare Draymond to other Michigan State greats Magic Johnson and Mateen Cleaves in his drive to win.

Izzo would add: “Winning is the most important thing. I promise if Draymond could score none, if he wins, he’s happy.”

Tom Izzo talks about Draymond's ability to make winning plays pic.twitter.com/Of9NaBzgwS

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) May 11, 2023

Draymond came out of the gate with a pep in his step scoring a quick eight points for the Warriors. You could see his focus, his desire to win right from the top. Izzo said Draymond would be content winning even if he didn’t score but tonight, the Warriors needed Green’s scoring, and more.

Stuffing the stat sheet with his highest-scoring game of the series, Green would go on to post a 20-10-4 stat line as well as two steals and a block to help extend the Warriors’ season another game.

In typical Draymond fashion, making winning plays went beyond the stats sheet. He drew multiple offensive fouls against the Lakers, pushed the tempo for the Warriors’ offense, made some great passes, and played excellent defense. Green’s urgency and energy were praised multiple times throughout the broadcast.

The Warriors will continue their series against the Lakers for Game 6 on Friday night at a time to be determined. While it’s unclear whether or not Izzo will be present for that game, Warriors fans will certainly be hoping that Draymond plays like he is.