Celtics let Draymond Green get under their skin in Game 2 loss
BOSTON -- Draymond Green did what Draymond Green does best in Game 2 of the NBA Finals. He got under the skin of Golden State's opponent.
The Celtics aren't going to let that happen again in Game 3. Instead, they're going to do everything they can to match the Golden State forward's intensity on the floor.
After scoffing at the deadly three-point shooting of the Celtics' supporting cast following Game 1, Green brought his trolling to the floor in Game 2 on Sunday night. He played his usual physical defense and drew a bunch of fouls. He was pushing and shoving for the ball any chance he got. He jawed with several players in green throughout the game, and even got into a few dustups along the way.
Green only scored nine points, but his fingerprints were all over Golden State's 107-88 win to even the NBA Finals at 1-1. He was able to rattle the C's early with his defense, and then let his antics take over.
Green was whistled for a technical after he got into it with Grant Williams after the Celtics forward was called for a blocking foul in the first quarter.
Green shrugged it off, calling Williams a "bozo" after getting hit with the T.
That technical was looming large though when Green fouled Jaylen Brown on a three-point attempt late in the second quarter. He dangled his feet over Brown as the two were on the floor, which Brown did not appreciate.
Brown gave Green a shove. Green gave him a little shove back. For good measure, Green gave Brown's shorts a yank as he pulled himself up.
Such an exchange would usually lead to double technical fouls, which in this case, would have resulted in Green getting the boot. That would have been pretty big on Sunday night.
Alas, the back-and-forth was reviewed and nothing came of it. Green actually received some leeway it would seem, which is wild considering his reputation.
But it did not surprise Celtics head coach Ime Udoka, who didn't feel that the officiating was at all even on Sunday night.
"I was not surprised there was a double technical not called. Not surprised at all due to the circumstances," said Udoka.
Brown, who scored only two of his 17 points after halftime, said that the exchange with Green did not throw him off his game the rest of the way.
"Absolutely not. It's the NBA Finals and you come to play basketball. I know what Draymond is coming to do," said Brown. "I feel they got away with a lot of stuff tonight. We have to be the smarter team, the more physical team and we have to come out and play Celtics basketball [in Game 3.]"
Al Horford said that Green's antics had "no impact" on the way the Celtics played in Game 2. Horford doubled down and said that Green's defense didn't contribute much to Boston's offensive struggles -- they were mostly self-inflicted with the Celtics committing 19 turnovers.
"He's going to do what he does. We're not going to worry about him," said Horford. "Do what we do and focus on us. We'll be better at home in Game 3."
"You just play basketball. You smile and you keep doing what you do," Brown said of his response to Green. "That is what Draymond is going to do; try to muck things up, pull your arm, whatever it takes to win. That's what he's made a career out of. Right now we don't have time for that, we just have to find a way to win."
"Obviously, we know what Draymond brings to the game," said Jayson Tatum. "I love that about him. We tried to match that [intensity]. I kind of felt like we weren't getting the benefit of the doubt when we were playing with that physicality."
The Celtics clearly felt that the officiating was extremely uneven in Game 2. While Green was able to get away with just about everything, the Boston defense wasn't allowed to play its physical brand of defense. That had Udoka pretty miffed at the officiating, especially as his team let the game slip away in the third quarter.
After Marcus Smart fouled Steph Curry to put the Warriors in the bonus for the final 6:55 of the third quarter, Udoka made sure that he got his money's worth as he voiced his displeasure with the officiating. It earned him a technical foul, which was his intention the entire time.
"I just let them know how I felt throughout the game. In a demonstrative way. On purpose. To get a technical," Udoka said, making his intentions crystal clear.
"I could see that coming a mile away," Horford said of Udoka's technical.
"Just that whole first half; it was definitely different," Horford said of the officiating from Game 1 to Game 2. "We knew it was going to be different but we wanted to stay the course. It is what it is. On to Game 3 and I can't wait to get to the Garden. I know it's going to be rocking on Wednesday."
The Celtics were able to steal home court advantage in the series with their Game 1 win, and now they get to head home for the next two games. They know that they can't lose focus on what cost them Game 2 -- turnovers and another dreadful third quarter -- so don't expect them to dwell on the officiating from Sunday night.
Or on Draymond Green's antics, for that matter. Those will only inspire the team to match his -- and the rest of the Warriors' -- intensity going forward.
The Celtics are at their best when they focus on themselves, and that will be the approach heading into Game 3 on Wednesday night.
