The Golden State Warriors cruised past the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday, 120-97, as Andrew Wiggins paced the team with 27 points and Stephen Curry poured in 23. Their balanced attack and reliance on depth have made them a potent team this year, despite Klay Thompson’s offseason departure. Meanwhile, Draymond Green nearly had what Charles Barkley called a “triple single:” nine points, nine assists, and seven rebounds. He also received some surprising information about his podcast, “The Draymond Green Show (with Baron Davis),” when the refs told him to stop crying about their calls after the game.
“I listened to the first 10 minutes of your podcast, so I don’t wanna hear no feelings tonight,” the refs told a perplexed Draymond before tipoff of Warriors-Hawks, as quoted by Sportscenter on their Instagram account.
Warriors cruising
Improbably, the Warriors are now on top of the Western Conference after convincing wins against the Boston Celtics and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
While Buddy Hield’s hot shooting early in the year has inevitably cooled off, the team keeps winning thanks to Steve Kerr’s philosophy this season of going 12-deep.
Likewise, this reliance on depth has allowed the Chef to preserve his legs for longer, meaning he could take over games much easier and more often, just like Curry’s shooting barrage to spoil Klay’s return.
Moreover, Draymond Green continues to fulfill his role as point-forward and defensive hub, notwithstanding the refs’ comments about his podcast.
He also continues to be involved in NBA drama.
On Sunday, Memphis Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins complained about Draymond’s antics against rookie center Zach Edey, where Green fell down with the ball and stopped a Grizzlies fastbreak by holding onto his ankle and tripping him.
“Draymond grabs [Edey’s] leg and pulls him down. Doesn’t get reviewed,” Jenkins said, via Blake Silverman on Sports Illustrated. “I know there’s a code in this league and I don’t understand how that wasn’t reviewed. Very disappointed.”
More drama
On the other hand, the refs did eject Green from the game after incurring two technical fouls. The NBA also reviewed the play and upgraded the call to a flagrant 1.
In turn, Green fired back at Jenkins on his podcast, per a separate SI report from Silverman.
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“You got janky Taylor Jenkins, who’s a softie,” the Warriors forward said. “Bro, this is game 11 and you’re running to the media crying about a foul.”
He even fired shots at Edey.
“Guess what you just taught your 7’3″ rookie? How to be emotional and run to the media talking about a foul,” he added. “We’re bigs, we’re big men. You don’t run to the media talking about a foul, you’re a big man.”
True enough, these aren’t surprising statements from Green.
After all, this is a guy who stomped on Domantas Sabonis’ chest during a playoff game, kicked multiple opponents in the groin during games, and even trapped Rudy Gobert in a chokehold.