“You’re gonna go to the media and say, ‘He was trying to pull my shorts;’ Come on, bro; you standing over me, own it” - Draymond Green says he knew had 1x All-Star’s heart after his comments in the media
Draymond Green explained that he knew he had beaten Jaylen Brown mentally as soon as he accused Green of trying to pull his shorts.
With the Golden State Warriors forward on the ground and Brown hovering over him, the altercation ensued. Green said he knew this moment was when he had won over the Boston Celtics guard during Golden State's run to the NBA championship.
Green said:
“You’re gonna go to the media and say, ‘He was trying to pull my shorts.’ Like, come on, bro. You standing over me, own it.”
Draymond Green takes Jaylen Brown’s heart
Draymond Green said that Jaylen Brown’s lack of aggression stood out. Green said that when standing over an opponent – let alone somebody like Green – one should be more aggressive.
Brown instead waited until the postgame media availability to assert that Green tried to pull his shorts down during the incident.
Green seemed disappointed with the situation. He was neither offended by the comments to the media nor frustrated about the narrative. He was disappointed that Brown did not take full advantage of having Green on the floor.
Green said:
“I knew I took his heart. I knew for the rest of the series I had him, because, you know, you’re standing over me and you’re gonna go to the media?”
Instead of capitalizing on the situation, Brown receded at that moment, according to Green. Brown did not voice what happened until after the game.
The situation made Brown look worse than Green, according to the four-time champion.
Green is a media genius. Giving him time to develop his own narrative about the nature of Brown’s response puts Brown at a disadvantage.
Green's intuition may have been correct. The finals unfolded in Golden State's favor, with the Warriors winning in six games. While Brown has contributed to Boston’s success, Green's continuous prodding may have made things worse for Brown and the Celtics.
Green may have had Brown’s heart for the rest of that series. If he did not have it at that point, he definitely did after the Warriors won the championship.
Green's finals-tested experience may have made a difference. Green was playing in his sixth finals, winning his fourth title in 10 seasons in the league. Brown, in his sixth season, was playing in his first NBA Finals.