Draymond, Steph and Klay comment on facing Sacramento in the playoffs

Apr 10, 2023, 1:30 PM

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 07: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors is fouled by Davion Mitchell #15 of the Sacramento Kings during the third quarter at Golden 1 Center on April 07, 2023 in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

BY JOSEPH JAROSZ

Former Editor

For the first time in NBA history, the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors will face off in the playoffs.

Game one is set for 5:30 p.m. Saturday, April 15, at the Golden 1 Center.

Before the Warriors travel north along I-80, players were asked about the matchup. And from a travel standpoint, Draymond Green says it’s huge they’re playing close to home.

“We went to Memphis last year, we went to Dallas last year. Boston was far as hell. Denver is not an easy flight and definitely not an easy game to play in altitude. So we had quite the travel schedule for the playoffs last year, to know that we’ll be starting off in Sac, it’s huge,” Green said. “That travel starts to add up. So being that it’s a bus ride away, I think that’ll be great for us, and hopefully we can fill the stands with some Dubs fans, Dub Nation, and try and turn it into a home game. But Sac has a great crowd. They’ve been ready and waiting for this for years. It’ll be a crazy atmosphere, but I’m looking forward to it.”

Klay Thompson said the series will be special and it’s great for Northern California and the NBA. He also echoed Green’s statement on travel, adding it’s possible to boat from the San Francisco Bay to Sacramento.

“We see a lot of planes, which are fun, but the bus ride kind of gives you the old-school vibe with high school and college. It’s just great. It worked out very nicely,” Thompson said “And that’s a team we greatly respect. They won our division. They have a great coaching staff, great players, so we’ll give them our utmost respect and play our hardest.”

Although he didn’t talk about the travel aspect of the series in depth, Steph Curry said it’s going to take a lot to beat the Kings. The Golden State Warriors took the regular season series against the Kings 3-1.

“They’re a great team, they’ve had an amazing season and it’s going to take everything to beat them four time, especially starting on the road,” Curry said.

The Battle for NorCal begins in Round 1 on April 15 at 5:30PM PST on @ABCNetwork 👑

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— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) April 9, 2023