"The biggest b**ch in the league", "F**k off Draymond Green", "How much did Draymond pay the refs" - Fans leave no stone unturned to gang up on 3-time NBA champion as his apparent technical foul goes unnoticed against Celtics in Game 2
Draymond Green and the Golden State Warriors knew they couldn't afford to arrive in Boston down 0-2 against the Celtics in the NBA Finals. The former Defensive Player of the Year’s physicality set the tone for the Warriors’ defense as they won Game 2 to level the series at 1-1.
With about 4:45 left in the first quarter, Green was called for a technical foul for a scuffle with Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams. Everyone watching the game knew that a second such call would automatically get him ejected.
The first half was nearly over when Green had another more heated tussle against Jaylen Brown. Instead of calling a double technical on both, the refs reviewed the play and decided to let the dustup slide.
Even non-Boston Celtics fans on socal media couldn’t believe what they were seeing. The officials, based on how former ref Steve Javie explained on national TV, weren’t going to penalize Green due to his previous technical foul.
Draymond Green knew how the officials were going to look at his play after the first technical and proceeded to push that to the limit. It was a veteran move by the longtime Warrior and gave his team a much-needed boost in intensity and energy.
The 31-year-old forward finished with nine points, five rebounds, seven assists, a steal and a block. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, however, promptly told the media that Green’s impact on the team is not reflected in the box score.
Green’s skills on defense were on full display tonight. He covered everyone from Robert Williams to Marcus Smart at different times in the game. He also disrupted Boston’s rhythm and schemes on numerous occasions in Golden State’s blowout win.
The Boston Celtics won’t even acknowledge Draymond Green’s impact in Game 2
Draymond Green, after Game 1, dismissed the Boston Celtics’ win as nothing short of lucky. He wasn’t convinced that Marcus Smart, Al Horford and Derrick White would shoot as well as they did in the series-opener.
The Boston Celtics would reply in kind when asked about everything Green did in Game 2. Al Horford had this to say about the four-time forward’s scuffles and impact:
“No impact. He’s going to do what he does. We’re not worried about him.”
Ime Udoka also downplayed Green’s supposedly game-changing performance for the Golden State Warriors:
“That’s one player. He can only guard one person at a time…it wasn’t just him.”
The NBA Finals will now shift to TD Garden where Celtics fans will surely and loudly let Green know what they think about his play.