Getty Images Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors.
In his patented fashion, Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green brought some additional physicality and chippiness to Game 2 of the NBA Finals, throwing the Boston Celtics off their groove.
Green said prior to the Warriors’ practice on Tuesday that his goal was simply to “meet force with force.”
“I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I’m going on about my summer and we lost the NBA Finals because we couldn’t meet force with force,” Green told reporters. “So I think that was just kind of it for me, and understanding that, like I said, that is my department. That’s where I’m supposed to lead, and I can’t let my guys down.”
Things got particularly chippy in Game 2 between Celtics star Jaylen Brown and Green, with the two barking at each other after a foul by Green on a 3-point attempt. The two got tangled up but it didn’t result in any technical fouls being assessed — a blessing for Green, who already had one.
Overall, it was a tough night for Brown, who turned in one of his worst performances of the postseason, shooting just 5-of-17 from the field. The 25-year-old Celtics star sounded off on what his team needs to do to prevent the same thing from happening in Game 3.
“Don’t get caught up in that. Just do what we do best. We ain’t got time for that. Just come out and play basketball, let everything else take care of itself,” Brown told reporters on Tuesday. “I’m going to come out, do my job. Everybody needs to come out and do their job. We’re here to play basketball, so don’t get caught up in all the antics and stuff like that. Just come out and play.”
Stephen Curry Knew Amped Up Draymond Green Was Coming
While the extra amped-up version of Green rattled the Celtics a bit, Warriors star Stephen Curry was well aware of what was coming from his long-time teammate.
“About five minutes after Game 1,” Curry told reporters when asked when he knew Green was going to pour on the intensity. “That’s all I needed to see and hear from him just in terms of he knew what he needed to do.
“I think we talk about it, some of that stuff doesn’t necessarily show up in the stat sheet in terms of points, rebounds, assists, just that wow factor, but you feel him in his presence and the other team feels his presence and his intensity, and that is contagious for all of us. It was great to see.”
Curry rode the momentum to a big night, helping spark the game-shifting third quarter in which the Warriors outscored the Celtics 35-14. When all was said and done, Curry scored a game-high 29 points.
Celtics Skipper Ime Udoka Not Worried About Draymond Green
The series now shifts to Boston, where Green will likely be hit with a smattering of boos every time he touches the ball.
Celtics skipper Ime Udoka is not worried about his team will handle another intense game and thinks his guys have enough familiarity playing both with and against Green.
“I think everybody knows everybody in this league by now. We’ve had several guys that have played with him with the Olympics, know him well enough,” Udoka said. “That’s part of our scouting report going into it, whether it’s Patrick Beverley or whoever the case may be, we always highlight a few things about guys. Everybody knows that going in.”
The Celtics are a 3.5-point home favorite for the matchup, with the total set at 212.5 points.