Warriors’ Draymond Green Fires Stiff Shot at NBA Over Celtics Fans

Getty Golden State Warriors big man Draymond Green reacts during Game 3 of the 2022 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics.

The Golden State Warriors‘ improbable march to the championship last season was something that won’t soon be forgotten in NBA circles. From Klay Thompson’s incredible comeback to the team overcoming a slew of injuries to ragtaggers like Gary Payton II and Otto Porter Jr. elevating their games and more, it was a journey like few before it.

And yet, at least one dark cloud still hangs over the Finals series that sealed the deal. Namely, the treatment Green claims he received from Boston Celtics fans. The four-time All-Star is accustomed to being heckled, of course, but — as relayed by NBC Sports Bay Area — he was taken aback at having racial slurs hurled in his direction so freely.

Green later lit up the league office for its tepid response to the situation. And, if his comments in a New York Times interview published over the weekend are any indication, he’s still miffed by what he heard (or didn’t hear) out of Commissioner Adam Silver at the time.

“The things that were chanted at me were even glorified by our league,” Green said. “I watched people from our league say it’s OK and a part of the game.”

Draymond Green Did His Best to Overcome What He Heard From Celtics Fans & Adam Silver

What Green was seemingly referencing in The Times interview was the following statement from Silver, which was made to WCVB Boston’s Peter Eliopoulos after the Dubs’ Game 3 loss:

“I want fans to enjoy themselves. I mean, of course, as the league office you want to see it done with respect for all the participants, but I get it. I love the energy that the Boston fans bring to the game.”

Pressed by The Times about the particulars of the league’s response, Green confessed that fans weren’t actively encouraged to behave in the way that they did. But he did note that the league “didn’t say it wasn’t OK to say the things that were said to me.”

Whether it was the result of the verbal onslaught he endured in Beantown, the physical and/or emotional toll of the series (and the long season in general) or something else entirely, Green largely struggled on the court during the Finals. However, he came through with flying colors when his team needed him most.

Playing before the hostile crowd at The Garden again in the decisive Game 6, Green put up 12 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists, two steals and two blocked shots in 42 minutes of action.

“I understood that the important thing was not getting too deep in my feelings about it. I had to go win the championship, and that’s what I did.”

Draymond Sounds Off on Standard Heckling vs Celtics Fans

Green knows full well that he and his teammates are always going to hear some things in opposing arenas, and he’s largely able to roll with the punches.

“In most cases it’s something you grow numb to. Not that it doesn’t bother you, but it’s kind of like, is it supposed to bother me every time? Or do you adjust to your surroundings? For most of us, you adjust,” he said.

He still thinks the Finals crowd in Boston was something else, though.

“It was way more nasty than I had ever seen before. I had never openly heard so many racist remarks while on the court,” Green added. “That made it a little different. But as far as heckling, it’s not that it doesn’t bother you, it’s how often are you going to let it bother you?”