Draymond Green didn’t have his finest game on Wednesday, dropping just 2 points before fouling out in the fourth quarter.
Naturally, fans and experts laid into Green for dropping the ball, with Stephen A. Smith becoming one of the loudest critics. After Game 3, he went off on the star forward.
“What the hell was that, Draymond? We got to stop this nonsense right now. This is a motivational speech. This is not criticizing Draymond Green. This is motivation, my brother. 2 points? All f that talking for 2 points. I got no problems with your podcast, I love listening to you, and I hope you keep doing it. But guess what? That ain’t the priority right now. 2 damn points against the Boston Celtics? That’s two games, Dray. Game 1, you admitted you weren’t yourself, Game 3, you said you played like you know what. Are you ready for somebody to look at you and say ‘Draymond Green you are on the verge of costing the Golden State Warriors two titles. When you lost in 2016, y’all win that series in 5 if you don’t get suspended…”
WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT, @Money23Green???? pic.twitter.com/zGQ9xbY14X
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) June 9, 2022
There is no denying that Draymond has not played well in the series, and it’s part of the reason why Golden State is down 2-1.
Despite some questions about Draymond and his ability to bounce back, his teammates don’t seem all that concerned about his recent play.
“Draymond is here for a reason,” said Klay Thompson. “We would not be the Warriors without him. He’s one of the best, smartest players I’ve ever played with. All of us are human… One thing I know for sure is we respond like champions.”
No matter what happens, the Warriors will need Green to play better if they want to come out of these Finals alive. The Celtics are proving to be more than a match, and all of the things that Draymond provides on the court are too important.
Needless to say, it’s up to Draymond to prove he can bounce back after a rough stretch of games.
