Draymond Green’s quotes are always powerful. Nearly everything he says can be written into a headline in today’s unfortunate 24/7 media culture.
His words carry extra weight when they come in the comfortable realm of his podcast ‘Dray Day’ with Bay Area News Group’s Marcus Thompson.
Green wasn’t thrilled with the Kelly Olynyk-Kelly Oubre kerfuffle in the Eastern Conference semifinals, and accused the Boston forward of being a dirty player. Oubre was suspended for Game 4 after pushing Olynyk to the floor, even though Olynyk levied a monster hit to him moments prior. Olynyk is also despised in Cleveland for injuring Kevin Love’s shoulder during the 2015 NBA playoffs.
Wizards' Kelly Oubre blasts Celtics' Kelly Olynyk after getting hit with pick (all angles) pic.twitter.com/Q9byNAFt0a
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) May 5, 2017
“Kelly Olynyk is a dirty player, man,” Green said. “Like, you do little stuff dirty, and then you want to take a charge? Like come on, man, Oubre didn’t hit him that hard.
Back on the practice court Tuesday, the Celtics had a chance to respond. And they didn’t choose the high road. Isaiah Thomas wasn’t particularly pleased with Green accusing Olynyk
“I mean, I don’t know how he can call anybody dirty,” Thomas said. via MassLive.com. “But it is what it is. Everybody’s got a comment or something to say about others, I guess. … It’s a joke that he said that.We can’t worry about what others are saying or doing.”
Isaiah Thomas responding to Draymond's comments on Olynyk: "I don’t know how he can call anybody dirty. … It’s a joke that he said that." pic.twitter.com/D2klo8IuSM
— Chris Forsberg (@ChrisForsberg_) May 9, 2017
Now, Green has already fired back! This is why the NBA is the greatest.
Just get through that series bro….
— Draymond Green (@Money23Green) May 9, 2017
Others on NBA Twitter have joined in with Thomas, calling Green a hypocrite for going at Olynyk. Deadspin headlined their piece: Draymond Green Denounces Kelly Olynyk For Dirty Play, Somehow Does Not Choke On The Irony. The Warriors forward was suspended for Game 5 of the NBA Finals for a cheap shot on LeBron James and had multiple kicking incidents with Steven Adams, which Green claims were accidental.
This back and forth should not be surprising in the slightest. Green is ruffling the feathers of another team. He’s an open book. Every thought you get from him is going to be the God’s honest truth. And one of his talents is entering the minds of other opponents around the NBA. Green will continue to deliver sharp commentary on his podcast — adding entertainment to some basketball fans, while making others irate. That’s the beauty of Draymond.
Green knew the Celtics would respond when he jabbed them. Boston has been engaged in a war of words with the Wizards for the larger part of two seasons. Thomas and Olynyk are feisty players that help make the Celtics tick. The 5-foot-8 point guard even barked obscenities at a Wizards fan on Sunday.
It’s highly unlikely the Celtics will upset LeBron James with the way he’s been playing. Even though they carry the No. 1 seed and will host the first two games in Boston, my bet is they’re still lacking If they somehow do miraculously skate by the Cavs, it’ll add another layer of smack talk to the NBA Finals.
