May 24, 2022; Dallas, Texas, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) reacts after a play against the Dallas Mavericks during the first quarter in game four of the 2022 Western Conference finals at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Draymond Green had a warning for the Boston Celtics following Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday night.
Green’s Golden State Warriors beat the Celtics 104-94 to take a 3-2 series lead. The Warriors won despite Steph Curry failing to make a three-pointer in the game, which is the first time that has happened to the sharpshooter in a postseason game.
Green thinks that Curry will take the bad game personally and be on a mission in Game 6.
“He was 0-for-9 from 3. He’s gonna be livid going into Game 6. That’s exactly what we need,” Green said after Game 5 on Monday night.
Draymond Green on Steph Curry: "He was 0-for-9 from 3. He's gonna be livid going into Game 6. That's exactly what we need."
Feb 20, 2020; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) stands on the court before the game against the Houston Rockets at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Draymond Green and Boston Celtics fans haven’t had a cordial relationship through the first four games of the NBA Finals, and that doesn’t seem likely to change with Green’s most recent comments on the fanbase.
On the most recent episode of his “The Draymond Green Show” podcast, Green reflected on how the Boston fans treated him during Games 3 and 4. Green compared Celtics fans to another Eastern Conference fanbase.
“They’re loud,” Green said (as transcribed by Justin Leger of NBC Sports Boston). “They’re pretty loud. They’re very loud. A little obnoxious. But Cleveland fans used to be obnoxious too. Now, I think these people, they take the cake. But yeah, it’s loud.”
This is Green’s first time playing the Celtics in the postseason. The Warriors forward played the Cavaliers in four consecutive finals appearances from 2015-2018.
The 32-year-old has had a terrible series offensively, and it could be argued that the Boston crowd’s profane chants and “obnoxious behavior” geared towards Green had an impact on his play in Games 3 and 4.
Green totaled just four points in the two road games in Boston. He shot a combined 2-of-11 from the field while missing all four of his 3-point attempts. He’s scored just 17 points and is 6-for-26 from the field in the series, and has yet to make a three pointer.
While Green struggled on the road, the Warriors were able to tie the series up at 2-2. They’ll have a chance to take their first lead in the series during Game 5 on Monday.
Even on off days, Draymond Green is still getting into spats.
The Golden State Warriors star had a tense exchange with a reporter Sunday over a question about teammate Klay Thompson. The reporter asked Green to reflect on Monday’s three-year anniversary of Thompson’s ACL tear.
“It’s unnecessary,” replied Green. “We’re here in this moment. There’s no need to talk about something that’s unfortunate that happened three years ago. We’re here in this moment, we’re gonna stay in this moment, we’re gonna think positive thoughts, and we’re gonna move forward.
“It’s been great to see where he is and the level he’s back playing at,” Green continued about Thompson. “But there’s no need for us to talk about moments that we don’t want to re-live from three years ago.”
Draymond Green went back and forth with a reporter when asked about the 3-year anniversary of Klay Thompson’s ACL injury. pic.twitter.com/UfHKOuIsMU
Truth be told, that was indeed a pretty goofy question from the reporter, especially since he asked Green to go back to the emotions of the night that Thompson tore his ACL. Thompson returned to the court over five months ago, and that night is no longer relevant to the Warriors as they pursue the 2022 title. On a human level, nobody wants to re-live a traumatic memory, especially coming off a happy one like Golden State’s huge win in Game 4.
Nov 7, 2021; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons (11) before the game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Denver Broncos at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Draymond Green has had a miserable NBA Finals, and Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons thinks he could do better.
Green struggled again offensively in Game 4 on Friday. Parsons tweeted his frustration with Green’s performance when the broadcast showed a graphic detailing that Green had more fouls than points in the series.
“Man F that!! Warriors sign me to a 10-day contract!!!” Parsons tweeted. “I can put up better numbers in them minutes than this!!”
Man F that!! Warriors sign me to a 10 day!!! I can put up better numbers in them minutes than this!! https://t.co/0gzLt3rTxj
Green finished Game 4 with two points, nine rebounds and eight assists. He’s scored just 17 points and is 6-for-26 from the field in the series. Green has has yet to make a three pointer.
May 18, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) before game one of the 2022 western conference finals against the Dallas Mavericks at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Draymond Green saw that viral tweet his mother sent, and the Golden State Warriors forward does not necessarily disagree with it.
Green continues to struggle, especially on offense, in the NBA Finals against the Celtics. Though the Warriors won Game 4 to even the series, Green once again contributed just two points on 1-of-7 shooting.
Green’s Finals performances have been enough to make his mother question what is going on. Green owned up to that on his podcast, “The Draymond Green Show,” and did not do anything to dispute the narrative.
Draymond saw his mom's tweet on his Finals performances 🤣
“I saw my mom tweeted that it’s been a tough series for me,” Green said. “Absolutely, it definitely has, but figure it out how you gotta figure it out.”
There is not much else that Green can say at this point. He was at least more active defensively in Game 4, but still found himself on the bench for a good portion of the fourth quarter with Golden State needing points. Some would say that left him with extra time to think up material for his podcast, but maybe he’s figured out to tone it down unless and until the Warriors win the series.
May 24, 2022; Dallas, Texas, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) reacts after a play against the Dallas Mavericks during the first quarter in game four of the 2022 Western Conference finals at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Draymond Green’s mother went viral for the tweet she sent about her son after Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday night.
The Golden State Warriors won Game 4 against the Boston Celtics 107-97 to tie the series at 2-2. They won despite Green’s lack of scoring for the second consecutive game.
Green scored 2 points for the second straight game. The difference in Game 4 from Game 3 is that he at least had 9 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 steals in Game 4.
But the back-to-back 2-point games from Green left even his mother Mary Babers bewildered.
Please ppl stop asking me what’s wrong with Dray… I DONT KNOW! Maybe this is a CLONE! Lmbo WHERE IS THE Draymond that helped get us here!! Hmmmm I have never seen this either!
The 2-point games may be unusual and confusing to Babers, as well as many other critics and observers. But as long as Golden State wins games, then neither Draymond nor his family and fans, will probably be too concerned.
Game 5 of the series will be on Monday night in San Francisco.
May 18, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) before game one of the 2022 western conference finals against the Dallas Mavericks at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Draymond Green apparently went straight for his phone after his team pulled out their most important win of the season.
Speaking on his show for fuboTV before Friday’s Game 4 of the NBA Finals, retired former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas had a sharp criticism of Green. Arenas said that Green would be to blame if the Warriors lost the series.
Golden State went on to defeat the Boston Celtics in Game 4 to tie the series 2-2. Arenas shared the follow-up, which was that Green sent him a DM just three minutes after the game went final. Green apparently told Arenas that he did not take the comments as a slight and that he appreciated Arenas. Take a listen (but beware of the bad language).
Green had been a steaming mess this series, especially during Golden State’s losses in Games 1 and 3. In Game 4, his shot was still M.I.A. as he went just 1-for-7 from the floor (with his only score coming on a wide-open putback dunk). Green was even benched for a good chunk of the fourth quarter by Warriors coach Steve Kerr. But Green still managed to do enough of the little things with nine rebounds, eight assists, and four steals to help the Warriors gut out the massive victory.
The former Defensive Player of the Year Green does not always play nice with his critics, even if those critics have played the game before. But this interaction with Arenas was actually a lot more wholesome than we have come to expect from Green.
Boston Celtics fans were at it again on Friday night with their anti-Draymond Green chants. ABC/ESPN were ready for them.
During the first half of Game 4 of the NBA Finals in Boston, Celtics fans started back up with their chants against Green.
Fans could be heard chanting “f— you Draymond,” inside TD Garden.
That’s the same chant that was heard in Game 3 (video here).
ABC/ESPN didn’t want that type of profane chant to go out on their telecast, especially with the game being broadcast over the air. So they did their best to muffle the chants.
You can hear how the chants became less clear, though the profanity initially was uncensored.
May 18, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) before game one of the 2022 western conference finals against the Dallas Mavericks at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Draymond Green may be dismissive of the notion that his podcast is giving away any valuable intel to opponents of the Golden State Warriors. But at least one rival team is tuning in to decide for themselves whether they can gain any insight by listening to Green’s show.
Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer reported on Thursday that several Boston Celtics coaches have been listening to Green’s show to see if the Warriors forward divulges any information of value to them following games.
Green began publishing his “The Draymond Green Show” on Nov. 15. At first he was publishing episodes on a weekly basis. But once the playoffs began, he started to publish new shows after each game.
Dallas Mavericks staffers listened to the show during the conference finals to see if they could get any inside information about the Warriors’ approach. Celtics staffers are doing the same.
Fischer asked Green after the Warriors’ Game 3 loss to Boston Wednesday whether the Golden State forward felt his show could be giving away any information to opponents. Green was dismissive of the question and reacted in a testy manner.
Green may be minimizing how much information his podcasts reveal. But he did share that the Warriors would plan to contest shots from Derrick White, Marcus Smart and Al Horford following the trio’s success in Game 1. Boston at least knew that was coming for Game 2. Golden State won Game 2 anyway.
Maybe Green is not revealing any more in his podcast than he does in postgame media sessions. But the fact that he’s spending time doing his show — and talking about series as they’re ongoing — is unusual. The whole thing opens him up to immediate criticism unless he backs it up on the court.
Jun 2, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver talks to media before game one of the 2022 NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Boston Celtics at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
The Golden State Warriors are having a difficult time dealing with the unwelcome treatment they have received from Boston Celtics during the NBA Finals. For now, Golden State is not getting a lot of sympathy from the league’s commissioner.
Silver spoke with WCVB’s Peter Eliopoulos for an interview on Thursday. The NBA commissioner was asked for his response to the controversy over profane chants Celtics fans directed at Draymond Green during Game 3 of the Finals on Wednesday. The commish backed the fans.
"I love the energy Boston fans bring to the game," #NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says in response to the Garden crowd screaming F– You Draymond [Green]. “I want fans to enjoy themselves, of course from the league office you want to see it done with respect, but I get it." #wcvbpic.twitter.com/pNok8CaBFU
— Peter Eliopoulos (@petereliopoulos) June 9, 2022
“I want fans to enjoy themselves. Of course, as the league office, you want to see it done with respect for all the participants. But I get it. I love the energy that Boston fans bring to the game,” Silver said.
Look, these are the NBA Finals. Hostility towards the opponents is the expectation. The way fans treat opponents is a huge part of sports — especially when the stakes are the highest. The Warriors are acting very soft by complaining about routine heckling they’ve faced in enemy territory. The Warriors also come across as extremely hypocritical, as if their fans have been extra classy this postseason.
