Draymond Green brought an extra level of physicality to Game 2 of the NBA Finals between the Celtics and Warriors and for the most part, both the Celtics and the officials working the game let Green get away with all of it.
Celtics legend, broadcaster and CLNS Podcast host Cedric Maxwell believes that if the Warriors agitator tried some of those antics in the 1980s when Max was playing – he would have suffered the consequences.
“I’m gonna be as clear as I can,” Maxwell told fellow NBA legend Gary Payton. “that shit Draymond Green was doing, during the 80s he would have got knocked the f–k out.”
Green was whistled for one technical foul in the first quarter after a scuffle with Grant Williams. Later in the second half the Warriors forward fouled Jaylen Brown and then put his feet on Brown, pushed him and tugged on his shorts but managed to avoid a second technical.
“For me to sit back and say, oh, I’m going to push it to this edge and try to pull back, that don’t work,” Green said of his play. “I got to be me. So with the first tech, it is what it is. That’s not going to stop me from being aggressive or doing what I do on the basketball court. Just got to live with the results.”
“That’s what he’s going to do,” Brown said of Green. “He’s going to try to muck the game up, try to raise the level of intensity. We’ve got to raise ours. I feel like they got away with a lot tonight, but we’ve got to come ready to play, come ready to meet that physicality on both ends.”
Green did not receive a second tech but got into the minds of the Celtics, who were outscored 55-38 in the second half. The Warriors’ defense was smothering, and the physicality got into the minds of the Celtics.
Al Horford did his best to minimize the impact Green had on the Celtics’ collective mindset.
“No impact. He’s going to do what he does,” Horford said. “We’re not worried about him. We’re going to do what we do, focus on us. We just didn’t get it done tonight. We’ll be better at home Game 3.”
Game 3 between the Celtics and Warriors is scheduled for Wednesday night in Boston. The best of 7 series is tied at a game apiece.
