Draymond Green Calls Warriors' Win vs. Spurs a 'Perfect Game 1'

The Golden State Warriors escaped Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals with a 113-111 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday, but Draymond Green thought the effort was "perfect." 

"It was actually a perfect Game 1," he said, per Ben Golliver of Sports Illustrated. "You get punched in the mouth but yet you can still get the win. It's a lot tougher in Game 2 when you win easily [by] 20, 30 points and then you usually have a letdown. Now we can come out in Game 2 on edge knowing how good this team is."

Green also reflected on how his team had an easier time with a sweep of the Utah Jazz in the second round than San Antonio did in a six-game series against the Houston Rockets, suggesting San Antonio was more in "fight" mode.

"Now we can have our guard up and try to start off a little better," he added. 

While Green's framed the contest positively for Golden State, it is an injustice to discuss Game 1 without mentioning Kawhi Leonard's injury.

San Antonio dominated the first half and extended its lead to more than 20 points in the third quarter before Leonard left with a sprained ankle. Considering he had 26 points in just 24 minutes and was slicing through the Warriors' defense, it was a devastating setback for the Spurs.

CBS Sports captured the turnaround:

Stephen Curry (40 points) and Kevin Durant (34 points) deserve credit for Golden State's "perfect" win, but Green and the two-time reigning Western Conference champions may have been singing a different tune if Leonard didn't go down.

The Warriors now must come out with their guard up for Tuesday's Game 2 after seeing how much of a scare the Spurs put into them.