Warriors' Green plays career-worst NBA Finals game amid Boston crowd jeers
BOSTON – “F*ck you, Draymond!”
The most hostile crowd in the NBA spent their Wednesday evening (Thursday morning Manila time) chanting Draymond Green’s name in disdain.
They reveled in Green’s misery in Game 3 as their beloved Boston Celtics foiled the Golden State Warriors despite Stephen Curry sustaining his historic shooting and Klay Thompson bouncing back from an underwhelming Game 2 performance.
The chants grew louder as the game wore on and added insult to injury after the Celtics zoomed to a 2-1 series lead with one more game here before returning to San Francisco for Game 5.
The Celtics’ length and athleticism have been smothering them on switches. The Warriors’ range – their biggest advantage – has been a hit or miss in this series save for Curry, who has at least five three-pointers in three straight games, tied for the longest streak within a single Finals all-time.
But Curry could not do it alone, especially after another foot injury scare. In what became the only bright spot to Green’s ghastly performance, the Warriors’ enforcer used his sixth foul to pull away Al Horford to prevent Curry from sustaining a more severe injury.
Still, Green took much of the heat after having more fouls (6) than points (2) and rebounds (4).
It was Green’s worst game in 30 NBA Finals games. Even his postgame podcast show caught stray bullets.
But Green was adamant that the Celtics fans nor his podcast show had anything to do with what he described as a “sh*t” performance.
“No, they just talking. Not really my job to react to them,” Green said of the loud Celtics fans. “They did what I expected.”
Fair enough.
Then Green defended his podcast and likened it to postgame interviews with reporters where he shares his raw, unfiltered thoughts fresh off each game in the series.
“I don't see much difference on the Podcast than I say to you right here, so Nah,” said Green rejecting any narrative that it has affected the way he plays or the Celtics’ game plan against him and the Warriors.
Green’s antics have been under scrutiny as the Warriors’ bid to resurrect their dynasty is facing an enormous challenge.
The Celtics may take away Green’s game but not his confidence.
“I think I can [improve]. I will. I have to be more aggressive on both sides of the ball, not just defense or offense,” Green said. “We are a much better team when I'm aggressive offensively, so I have to be that for this team. I've always prided myself on giving the team what it needs in order to win.”
Curry, Thompson and Green are looking to duplicate their successful comeback from a 2-1 deficit in their first NBA championship together in 2015. The Warriors won the next three games after staring at a 2-1 deficit. Green played a key role, churning out three straight all-around games capped by a monster triple-double in the series clincher against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
But for the first time in their six NBA Finals run, Green may have found his match in the Celtics frontline duo of Al Horford and Robert Williams III. He could no longer just bully and hustle his way in the paint like he routinely did in their past championship runs.
While Curry and Thompson’s firepower has fueled the Warriors’ dynasty, Green’s play on both ends of the floor glued the team together.
“That's who I am, you know. I'm always going to do whatever I can for my teammates. I think that's just my MO. That's who I've always been. In saying that, that doesn't excuse my play, how poorly I played [Wednesday] night,” Green said after Game 3.
“I'll continue to be that guy, no matter what. I try not to get caught up in all the stuff that happens around me or that, for that matter. But, yeah, I've always been that guy. That won't change now.”
Now, more than ever, the Warriors – a four-point underdog in Game 4, need Green, the glue guy, not the lightning rod.
“Well, Draymond is here for a reason. We would not be the Warriors without Draymond. He is one of the best players I've ever played with. He is one of the smartest players I've ever played with. All of us are human. We're not immune to a bad night or two,” Thompson told Philstar.com when asked if he ever had a conversation with Green about his Game 3 dud.
“But I know one thing for sure is that we respond like champions. I know Draymond will come out and play his typical brand of ball that's very physical, fast-paced, talking trash and just being the Money Green that the Dub Nation loves so much and has brought us to heights that the franchise has never seen before.”
“I'm excited. He is excited. Our whole team is excited because we're here, and it's an incredible opportunity.”
“F*ck you, Draymond” chants will be louder than ever in Game 4. But Green vows to respond not with his loud mouth but let his game do the talking.
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Alder Almo is a former senior sportswriter for Philstar.com and NBA.com Philippines. He is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey, and writes for the New York-based sports website empiresportsmedia.com.
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