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Warriors' Draymond Green Suggests Karl-Anthony Towns Should Stop Talking Trash
April 29, 2022
The Minnesota Timberwolves had multiple chances to put a stranglehold on their first-round series against the Memphis Grizzlies, but instead they face a 3-2 deficit heading into Friday's Game 6.
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green recently said on The Draymond Green Show that he thinks the trash talk of Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns has been coming back to bite the team.
"It seems to go wrong every time Karl Towns says something on the mic, or he tells people to shut up or waves," Green said. "At some point you probably just should be yourself, because it hasn't been going right for him when he does that."
The Timberwolves could have already advanced to the second round if not for a lack of focus. They blew a 13-point fourth-quarter lead before losing Game 5 on a buzzer-beating layup by Grizzlies star Ja Morant. They also held a 26-point lead in Game 3 before losing by nine.
The series between Memphis and Minnesota has been the most contentious of the first round, with trash talk and social media trolling coming from both sides. But Green said he found it surprising to see Towns talking so much because that's not his nature.
"I've never known Karl Towns to be such a big talker, and this year, especially as of the last few months, it's been a lot of that," Green said. "When you talk like that, you've got to back that up, and Memphis ain't hearing it."
Green also lamented Towns' lack of post touches, particularly down the stretch of games when Minnesota should've been playing through its All-Star center.
Friday's Game 6 will be played on Minnesota's home floor, so the players surely will be trying to avoid being eliminated in front of their own fans. Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported that the Timberwolves held a players-only meeting on Wednesday following a team film session. The meeting reportedly inspired confidence that they will be able to force a Game 7.