Draymond Green Responds to Kristaps Porzingis' Comments on Matchup
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green locked down New York Knicks big man Kristaps Porzingis in the Dubs' 103-90 win Thursday night, and Green revealed following the contest he had added motivation to do so.
According to ESPN.com's Chris Haynes, Green was fired up by comments the Latvian youngster made during the lead-up to the game:
"My Nike rep, Adrian [Stelly], showed me something on the sideline like two minutes right before the game tipped off that kind of pissed me off and made me want to go a little harder this game and guard him. So, it was good. I appreciate him for showing me that because I think I was in La-La Land before he showed me that and it just immediately pissed me off.
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Prior to Thursday's clash, Porzingis was asked about his struggles against Green last season, and the 21-year-old expressed excitement at the possibility of turning his fortunes around, per Marc Berman of the New York Post:
"Both games he played really well defensively against me. So he's one of the top defenders in the league. It's going to be a challenge ... but I'm really looking forward to it.
We didn't really talk about nothing. But after games like that, you don't even need anybody to talk to you. I want to go out there. Last season, right after the game was over I was thinking when was the next time we were going to get a chance to play against them. I'm ready for him.
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Despite the second-year man's insistence that he was prepared to go up against Green, he turned in one of his worst performances of the season thus far, finishing with just eight points while shooting 30.8 percent from the field.
Green had some complimentary words for Porzingis after the game, but he also offered a word of warning to those who plan on challenging him publicly:
"I like the passion, I like the dog that he has, I like that you want to see me again, but keep that to yourself. Don't let everybody know that you're going after me. So I guess we're going to go after each other and that's fine. I think he's a great player. I think he will continue to get better and better, but that made it real personal.
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Porzingis is averaging 20.1 points per game this season and has all of the makings of becoming a perennial All-Star, but he has a long way to go before matching Green's accolades.
The former Michigan State standout is already an NBA champion, All-Star, Olympic gold medalist and two-time NBA All-Defensive First Team selection.
Despite playing alongside legitimate superstars in Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson, he makes a sizable impact on both ends of the floor in nearly every game.
Green is a dogged competitor who seemingly doesn't need any added motivation to play to the best of his ability, but he proved Thursday that anger can drive him to an even higher level.
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