During the Boston Celtics June 5 loss against the Golden State Warriors, we witnessed a battle of the wits between Draymond Green and Grant Williams.
Of course, Green is the master of mental battles, especially late in the post-season, so as you could imagine, he ended up shutting Williams’ trash talk down. During their back-and-forth, some eagle-eyed fans noticed that Green told the Celtics’ third-year combo-big that he ‘wishes he was me’ which came about due to Williams’ previous glowing statements about Green’s game.
“I remember exactly where I was when LeBron blocked that shot. I remember exactly where I was when the Warriors won it for the first time. I was in college and I remember watching the game. I was going for the Warriors then, back in the day, because I’m a Draymond guy,” Williams had told the media on June 2.
Speaking to the media on June 7
, Green addressed his remark to Williams and noted how the young Celtics’ trash talk is what spurred him into shutting down the breakout forward.
“When a guy comes and starts — when you say that and then you start talking junk to me, then yes, I’m going to say something about that. Of course. But I didn’t say anything about that Game 1 because he wasn’t talking to me. I’m not going to go watch his press conference where he gives me props, where he appreciates my game, and then go through it in his face. That’s whack to me. I’m not doing that. That’s just not how I roll…Do I feel like, no, man, I shouldn’t have said that? No, it’s the heat of the battle. You’re out there on the court. You get to feel sorry for him or yourself if you want to. It’s going to turn on you. No, you just keep it moving,” Green said.
Udoka Embracing Leadership Battle
Like it or loathe it, Green is a true leader on the court and uses his voice, intensity, and physicality to spur his team on when he can see they’re lacking energy. Marcus Smart does a similar thing for the Celtics but is better known for leading by example, rather than being a catalyst in the manner that Green is.
Speaking to the media on June 7, Ime Udoka noted how he’s looking to match Draymond’s style of influence himself, and will be aiming to rile up his team if he sees their energy is low throughout the remainder of the series.
“I think everybody knows everybody in this league by now. We’ve had several guys that have played with him in the Olympics, and know him well enough. 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.
When their team is struggling, he sets the tone for them. That’s one of the ways he does it. But we embrace that. One of the best defensive teams, we like to impose our will, as well. I have to meet that with the same thing,” Udoka told reporters.
Marcus Smart Taking Things Personally
When both teams have a player that is known to be a tone-setter, you often look to their performances as indicators of how a team is going to play throughout a game. In the second game of the NBA Finals, Smart was rather subdued, while Green was his usual self, and as such, the Warriors found a new gear.
During his June 7 press conference, Smart noted how he takes moments like that personally, and why he will be looking to change his mindset heading into game three, in front of Boston’s own fans at the TD Garden on June 8.
“As any competitor would tell you when you get hit in the mouth like that, there’s only one way to respond, and if you’re not really ready to do that, then you don’t need to be on this stage. This is a stage where we’ve got to be willing to risk it all out there for your team and for the victory. By all means necessary. That’s the mindset that they have. It’s the mindset we have. But we’ve got to go out there and execute it,” Smart told reporters.
Boston has not lost back-to-back games throughout the post-season, so they will likely enter game three full of confidence, and look to continue their record of bouncing back from defeat – which will hopefully allow them to re-gain the momentum in the series.
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