“He should be getting the Ben Simmons treatment, except for the fact that Ben Simmons was never this bad” - NBA analyst says Draymond Green is lucky that his podcast is the focus over his bad performances
Reactions have continued to pour in following Draymond Green's horrendous Game 3 performance. There have been conversations around his podcast being a distraction, but NBA analyst Nick Wright says he's that's where the focus lies.
After the final buzzer in Game 3, the Golden State Warriors were down 2-1 in the series against the Boston Celtics. Green fouling out for the second time in the series also meant he was not there to help his team late in the game.
in any loss, there's a lesson
@Verizon || Game Rewind https://t.co/okZHkQA8K8
Speaking on if the podcast has been a distraction, Wright said he is lucky to have something people are blaming. On "First Things First," the analyst said that he should be getting the same treatment Ben Simmons got last year, stating:
"Draymond is actually lucky he's doing the podcast. Because he's doing the podcast, we're focused on that as opposed to this fact. He's en route to what could arguably be the worst NBA Finals performance ever. That's not hyperbolic.
"Draymond Green has the lowest true shooting percentage of any player in history through three finals games who's played at least a hundred minutes. He's playing a ton of minutes and producing nothing."
After pointing out that Green has fallen off from being a consistent triple-double threat, he continued:
"I think it is easier to defend a team that has a player on it that refuses to look at the basket than if he would look at the basket. I think it is easier to guard the Warriors when one of their five guys, who is the fulcrum of their offense, refuses to shoot or even pretends to want to shoot.
"He should be getting the Ben Simmons treatment, except for the fact that Ben Simmons was never this bad. There's not a playoff game of Ben Simmons' career as bad as the one we just saw Draymond play."
"Draymond's lucky he's doing a podcast. We're focused on that instead of the fact this could be the worst Finals performance ever. He has the lowest true shooting % of any player in history through 3 Finals games w/ at least 100 mins. He's never been this bad." — @getnickwright https://t.co/iMpxRM4FET
Simmons had it rough with Philly fans and the media after he arguably cost them the 2021 Eastern Conference semifinals. They lost the series to the Atlanta Hawks after losing Game 7 103-96.
Draymond Green has received a lot of criticism from the media in the past few days
It has been a rough couple of days for Green, who has been on the receiving end of constant criticism. He first engaged in a back-and-forth with NBA legend Cedric Maxwell, with Green saying that most of them in the 80s and 90s were bullied.
“One thing that baffles me about the ’80s or ’90s when basketball was ‘so much more physical’ is some of the guys that be talking weren’t the guys that were punching people.”
Draymond with an incredible soundbite on Cedric Maxwell’s comment 🤣 https://t.co/TER27UC2uP
Maxwell was having none of it, stating that he won a Finals MVP and did not appreciate Green's comments.
Former Finals MVP Cedric Maxwell responds to Draymond Green’s comments about the physicality of the NBA in the ’80s and ’90s 👀 https://t.co/9xLlbRrBjN
Outside of that, NBA analysts have called out Green, demanding that he play better. Kendrick Perkins believes he was more prepped for his podcast than he was for Game 3.
Stephen A. Smith, who has been a staunch supporter of the Warriors, has said that Green could cost the Warriors the title.
"Where you play 34 minutes, you have 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 points. Draymond Green does that in a grade school game, not in the NBA Finals... He has lost focus in terms of concentrating on beating the opponent"
— Isiah Thomas on Draymond Green's performance in Game 3 https://t.co/tf8EdEZnCu
Nonetheless, Draymond Green acknowledged his poor performance and is hoping to do better. If they go 3-1 down, it will be difficult to beat this dogged Celtics team in three consecutive games.
The only team in league history that has overturned a 3-1 deficit in the finals is the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers. Ironically, it was against the Warriors.