“You can’t go in the ring with Deontay Wilder and think you’re just gonna put your jaw right there” - NBA analyst believes Draymond Green has to be ready for the Boston Celtics because they are ‘no joke’
By his own admission, Draymond Green played "like s**t" in Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics. The former Defensive Player of the Year was a non-factor for the Golden State Warriors in two of their three games in the series.
Stephen A. Smith, who’s covering the NBA Finals with ESPN, was flabbergasted with how Green played the other night. The veteran sports analyst couldn’t understand why the Warriors’ heart and soul looked so out of sorts in Games 1 and 3.
Here’s his unsolicited advice to Draymond Green:
"Yo, these boys ain’t no joke! You gotta step up. You can’t walk into the ring with Canelo Alvarez and don’t be prepared for the left hook. You gotta know this.
"You can’t go in the ring with Deontay Wilder and think you’re just gonna put your jaw right there for his right hand! You can’t do that."
Draymond Green has been harping about his understanding of basketball, physicality and grit on social media. He has had more bark than bite in two of the three games in the finals.
"Draymond's watching social media, responding to reporters & creating podcasts. It's fair to ask, 'Are you totally locked in?' If Joe Budden had a bad podcast & he's like 'I spend a lot of time playing high-level basketball.' It'd be like, 'Focus on the pod, Joe.'" — @kevinwildes https://t.co/RSD7qgakGT
The three-time champion opened Game 3 guarding Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown as he did in Game 2. From the get-go, it was clear that Brown intended to be aggressive with his drives to the basket instead of passing.
Green simply looked unprepared and was unable to adjust on the fly, allowing JB to light up the Warriors for 22 points in the first half.
As the game wore on, Golden State coach Steve Kerr put Draymond Green back inside to protect the paint and end Boston’s offense with rebounds.
The Warriors’ interior anchor also failed there, as Robert Williams, Al Horford and Grant Williams punished them in rebounding.
Rob Williams on our 15 offensive boards and 47-31 advantage in total rebounds: “We feel like they’ve been killing us on the glass the whole series. We wanted to just put an emphasis on that.”
The Celtics’ 47-31 edge on the boards, including 15-6 offensive rebounds, killed the Warriors. Boston also dumped 52 points in the paint, with Green helplessly watching the Celtics run amok inside.
Stephen A. Smith had this to say to the future Hall-of-Famer:
"And so for me, somebody needs to tell Draymond, based on two of these three games and what happened in 2016, you’re on the verge of being blamed for two finals losses.
"'Cause you got suspended for that Game 5 that they would have won and beat Cleveland. They had a 3-1 lead going to Oracle, and we know the rest."
Ryan Clark: “It’s a problem when J. Cole has a better stat line than Draymond Green.”
Smh 😂https://t.co/RZWlDFIA34
Stephen A. Smith urges Steve Kerr to use the young Warriors to bolster help for Draymond Green and Kevon Looney
The Boston Celtics' size, length and athleticism are wearing down the Golden State Warriors. This was evident in the last quarters of Games 1 and 3, where Golden State hardly put up a fight.
The @celtics are simply bigger and more athletic than the @warriors
Golden State has to figure out how to get size on the floor b/c the rebounding situation is killing them.
C’s looking good! ☘️
The Celtics pummeled the Warriors in Game 1 in the final 12 minutes, outscoring them 40-16. It was more of the same in Game 3, as Golden State and its array of shooters finished with only 11 points to Boston’s 23.
Stephen A. Smith urged Steve Kerr to change things up and give his youthful role players minutes in the NBA Finals:
"You have nobody else to go to. Go with the young thoroughbreds who are athletic and defend like a Kuminga. I’m big on Kuminga, you gotta get that kid in there!
"I don’t care what struggles he has in understanding the offense. We know he’s a skywalker. We know he has a big, NBA body. We know he can defend, and he’s long enough to defend."
Will Jonathan Kuminga and/or Moses Moody see some time in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday?
All options are on the table for the Warriors heading into what seems like a "must-win" game. si.com/fannation/nba/…