Getty Draymond Green, Boston Celtics
During the Boston Celtics NBA Finals series against the Golden State Warriors, there were multiple incidents between the attending fans and Draymond Green.
During a recent interview with ESPN’S Kendra Andrews, Green spoke of how intends to greet those same fans when the Celtics and Warriors face off at the TD Garden on Thursday, January 19.
“I’ll greet them with a nice smile…Just as I did after we won the championship,” Green told Andrews and ESPN.
Draymond Green on Warriors winning NBA title in front of Celtics fans: “It was such a beautiful thing” #BostonCeltics #DraymondGreen #GoldenStateWarriors t.co/mlBMdbvsqM
Green, 32, is known for his role as an antagonist on the court, but his relationship with Celtics fans took a nose dive during the finals, and now, he is expecting to be walking into a hostile environment when the two championship hopefuls face off.
“You’ll have a situation where an entire arena will boo you, but not what the Boston fans were doing. So, it was just a different situation than I had ever seen. It took a while to adjust to it … it was just so unexpected. It caught me off guard,” Green said when discussing the environment he faced in Boston last season.
During the six-game series against Boston, Green averaged 6.2 points, 6.2 assists, and 8 rebounds per game while shooting 33.3% from the field and 12.5% from deep en route to the fourth championship of his career.
Draymond Green Praises Celtics Season
When speaking to Madeline Kenney of The Reporter following a December 9 practice session, Green spoke glowingly of the Celtics season thus far, noting that they’ve been ‘incredible.’
“They look incredible…They’re playing well, they’re playing together…They’re responding how you expect a young team to respond to the Finals loss. It just says a lot about their character, says a lot about the guys’ will to win and will to be great. You either get motivated by losing an NBA championship or playoff series… or you go down the tube. They’re obviously motivated by it, and they’re playing well,” Green said.
Draymond Green Expects Celtics To Win A Championship
During a June 16 episode of Green’s ‘The Draymond Green Show’ podcast, the veteran noted how he believed the Celtics will eventually win a championship and gave them credit for how they played en route to the finals and throughout the six-game series against Golden State.
“You have to give them a lot of credit. That team ain’t going anywhere. That team will be back. You better believe that team will be back…It wouldn’t surprise me if we see this team sometime in the near future—when we’re done—win a championship,” Green said.
The Celtics will be hoping to come out victorious in their latest matchup against Golden State as they bid to continue building momentum heading into the All-Star break. Furthermore, Jayson Tatum will likely be looking to continue his good form and prove that he’s capable of playing at an elite level against a Warriors team that does an exceptional job of stifling him.
Regardless of the outcome, Boston will remain top of their conference and will hopefully continue to string wins together as they bid to cement homecourt advantage for the post-season.