Kristaps Porzingis 'really pissed off' Draymond Green, and it played out accordingly
Kristaps Porzingis thought he was “ready for” Draymond Green, but as it turned out, the two-time Defensive Player of the Year runner-up was all the more prepared for his assignment on Thursday.
Just prior to the game — one the Golden State Warriors led by as many as 25 and won by 13 — a representative for Green showed him a rather harmless quote from Porzingis in the New York Post:
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“Both games he played really well defensively against me,’’ Porzingis said. “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.”
Maybe Green was upset that Porzingis just called him “one of the top defenders in the league” and not the best in the business, or maybe he didn’t like that the 7-foot-3 “unicorn” had the gall to actually look forward to their matchup. Whatever it was, Draymond didn’t take too kindly to it.
Draymond Green said he was motivated by Kristaps Porzingis's comments about wanting to play him. "Keep that to yourself." Full quotes: pic.twitter.com/QCdQOIZXPp
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) December 16, 2016
After Green helped hold Porzingis to singe-digit scoring (eight points on 4-for-13 shooting) for the first time since Nov. 2, the outspoken two-time First Team NBA All-Defensive selection told reporters his Knicks counterpart’s comments gave him all the extra motivation he needed. Via SI.com’s Ben Golliver:
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“My Nike rep Adrian [Stelly] showed me something on the sidelines, 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,” said Green. “It was good. I appreciate him for showing me that because I think I was in la-la land before and that immediately pissed me off.
“His comments earlier that I’m sure we’re all aware of. 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. I guess we’re going to go after each other. 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.”
But it was JaVale McGee who started opposite Porzingis, successfully defending the 21-year-old’s first two shots, and the budding Knicks star actually converted two of his first three tries against Green, using his considerable height advantage to his benefit and dropping a couple jumpers right over him:
Of course, those makes were sandwiched around a Porzingis air ball with Green draped all over him:
Warriors forwards Andre Iguodala and Kevin Durant actually got the best of Porzingis, each blocking a shot against a dude who’s 87 inches tall. And the lone dunk from the Knicks big man came when Brandon Jennings beat Stephen Curry off the dribble, Durant and Green slagged off their men to help, and Porzingis cleaned up Jennings’ miss over both of Golden State’s All-Star frontcourt-mates:
But Green did his share of the work, holding Porzingis to 4-for-9 shooting while serving as his primary defender, and he got the last laugh, too, forcing Porzingis into another air ball with a stellar effort:
And you may be wondering why Porzingis only attempted 13 shots with teammates Carmelo Anthony (shoulder) and Derrick Rose (back) both sidelined. That, too, can be attributed in part to the defensive work of Green, who helped force New York away from Porzingis, strangle the streaky Knicks’ offense to the tune of 40.9 percent shooting (38-of-93), and turn the game into a blowout by the third quarter.
“It just wasn’t in my rhythm really, maybe a little too anxious, you know, wanting to do too much,” Porzingis said afterwards, via ESPN.com. “Got to learn from this. Draymond gets into you every time. Before you get the ball, when you’ve got the ball, he’s into you. He’s always using his hands. He’s just a smart defender and he knows how to be in position where you feel uncomfortable.”
But let’s not pretend like Green totally owned Porzingis, since the latter also served as the primary defender on the former on a night Green shot 2-for-12 and scored just five points. Although, Green added 11 rebounds, seven assists and two blocks, outperforming Porzingis across those categories.
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The Knicks haven’t had many excuses to talk over the past several years (decades?), so it’s refreshing to see them mix it up with the game’s best, but maybe next time they should wait until after they face the Warriors to start goading Green. After all, Porzingis is now averaging eight points on 25 percent shooting in three career games against Golden State — by far his lowest averages against any team.
Porzingis-Green IV is scheduled for March 5 in New York, so mark it on your calendar. I’m guessing Draymond will have that nationally televised game circled, too — and still be pissed off at Porzingis.
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Ben Rohrbach is a contributor for Ball Don’t Lie and Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach
