Former Celtics great Paul Pierce joined the latest episode of The Draymond Green Show and told an interesting story about a back-and-forth between a young Draymond Green and then-Celtics forward Kevin Garnett.
Pierce used the story about his confrontation with Garnett to make a point about how Green has stayed consistent in his on-court persona throughout his career.
“I will tell you this I love the fact that you stay true to who you are because even before you won you was like that because I remember we came in there with Boston you was talking s— to KG and I’m like who is this dude right here like really looking at him y’all ain’t won yet but you was already, you had that… you remember that we went to Golden State you was talking s— to KG I was like, ‘who is this little —- right here,” Pierce said. “I was like damn and so it all makes sense now like you always been like that. You know some people they start winning or they get some money and turn into someone else you know what I’m talking about but you came in true to yourself and I appreciate that man and you know I love what you’ve been doing to the game and I just want everybody to know between me and you it ain’t never been no beef, good banter, I respect your game and what you’ve brought to the game man.”
Draymond appreciated Pierce’s comments and gave more perspective to the Garnett story.
“I appreciate that I definitely remember that because I remember coming in, you know how KG will stand next to you, I’ve actually told the story before, KG will stand next to you and he will call you every B in the book, he will call you every 304 in the book, he’s going to call you soft all of that and he’s just going to stand at the free throw line next to you and say all of these things about you and I’m standing there and I’m like, first off like this —- is crazy like I’m just standing there listening to him like, ‘Who is he talking to man?”
The confrontation between Green and Garnett certainly shows that Draymond has always played with a competitive edge and isn’t afraid to stand up for himself. This type of mentality has been a key factor in Green’s success on the court, as he has become known for his tenacious defense and fiery personality.
Green’s on-court challenges led to two suspensions and his absence from 17 games this season. However, the Warriors gain from his energy and competitive drive. Kerr highlighted this in comments obtained by the Ringer.
“He’s just perfectly finding the line, walking the line. We didn’t want him to come back passive. We still wanted him to yell at the refs; we just didn’t want him to get kicked out. He’s one of the great competitors in the game. So he has to play with fire, energy, and passion. And he’s doing that, but he’s just walking the line beautifully.”
Draymond Green and the Warriors, fresh off of a convincing win over the Milwaukee Bucks, will face the Chicago Bulls tonight at 10 PM EST.
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