Getty Danny Green of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Danny Green has been dragged on the internet since missing what could have been the title-clinching shot for the Los Angeles Lakers late in Game 5 against the Miami Heat.
But the criticism of the veteran swingman went way too far and Green revealed on Sunday prior to Game 6 that his he and his fiance have received death threats.
“I had to ask, I said ‘are you getting death threats?’ She’s like ‘yeah, you are too,'” Green told reporters Sunday. “I don’t know because I don’t really pay attention or care, nor am I shake or worried about it. I’m just not one of those people. I probably should be a little more paranoid, but I am safe usually.”
Danny Green on the fans who’ve made death threats against him & his fiancé after his missed shot: “I hope they’re that passionate about voting, or injustice for these people who deserve justice – we’ll get some better change in the country.” Green calls himself “an easy target.”
Green has slumped at a bad time, shooting just 34 percent in the playoffs. As a starter playing around 25 minutes per game, Green has scored averaged just 7.8 points. The missed shot was just the latest thing that sent the rabid purple and gold fan base off.
“It’s a basketball game. You know people are emotional, fans are emotional. I hope they don’t take it that seriously. I hope they are that passionate about voting or getting justice for these people who deserve justice, and we’ll get some better chance in the country. But it’s a basketball game at the end of the day and I know they’re just taking out their emotions and they need somebody to blame. It came down to that last play and of course, I’m the easy target.”
Danny Green on Shot: I’d Give Anything to Have it Back
Nobody would have liked to drill the game-winner more than Green, who is a 40 percent 3-point shooter for his career.
“I had more time than I realized, should have taken more time,” Green said. “I’d give anything to get that shot back again, trust me.” Still, he adds “any person that plays basketball knows it’s never only on one play.”
While fans have slandered Green over the shot, his teammates have had his back.
“We just needed to get one stop. We felt like if we could get one stop, we could do something on the offensive end. But we got a hell of a look. We got a hell of a look to win the game, to win the series,” said LeBron James, who took some heat for passing to Green instead of taking the shot himself. “Didn’t go down. And then we got the offensive rebound, we turned the ball over. I thought we had a lot more time than I think we even thought after the offensive rebound, and a pass wasn’t executed as we would like. But we’ve got to be better. We’ve just got to be better in Game 6 and close the series.”
The Lakers opened the series as large favorites and remain so up 3-2 in the series. A win on Sunday would still lock up the franchise’s 17th championship.
The Lakers were listed at -15,000 to win the series prior to Game 5, meaning it would have taken a $15,000 bet to win just $100 on the Lakers to take home the title. That number has since dropped to -750, per Odds Shark.
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Lakers Guard Says Family Received Death Threats After Loss