Draymond Green endured a torrid time during Game 3 of the NBA Finals. On the road, at Boston Celtics’ home TD Garden, Golden State Warriors’ Green was the villain-in-chief for the Celtics partisans. With the series tied at 1-1 going into the crunch encounter, the Celts would turn in a rousing performance, winning 116-110 in an often fractious game. Central to the hostilities were Green and Celtics’ Grant Williams. The sparring between the two power-forwards- which had begun to sizzle in Game 2– spilt over into the third instalment of the best of 7 series!

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Welcomed by a chorus of boos by the Boston faithful, Green would dive right into peak villainhood early in the second quarter. As Celtics’ talisman Jayson Tatum dribbled past the half-court after a turnover, Green attempted to shield his run, turning his back to the Warriors’ basket. Williams, sensing an opportunity to make amends for their Game 2 goings-on, scythed the Warriors star man down to the floor. Green shot back to his feet and broke out into mock applause. Williams brushed into his counterpart, after which the two had to be separated!

Going mano-a-mano with Boston forward did not go as per plan for Draymond. Off-pace for much of the game, he was ejected for his 6th foul with little over four minutes left in the final quarter. His tally of two points, four rebounds, three assists, one block and two turnovers was a let-down for Stephen Kerr’s much-fancied Golden State Warriors. Speaking in the post-match press conference, Green spared himself no punches whilst admitting to having a stinker. When asked by The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson about how he had played, he responded:

“Like s**t!”

Adding further: 

“I think I never found a rhythm, really on both ends of the floor…so not enough force! But just got to find the rhythm quicker.”

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With Game 4 two nights away, the Warriors must regroup quickly, lest they fall further behind.