Draymond Green was amped up for Game 2 of the NBA Finals and his heightened aggressiveness was a familiar role he’s played for the Warriors over the years.
Not even making NBA Finals history can tear Draymond Green away from a good old-fashioned feud.
So when the Warriors veteran moved up to No. 10 on the all-time Finals assists list during Golden State's 107-88 Game 2 win against the Boston Celtics on Sunday night, he of course took the opportunity to fire shots at his longtime adversary Kendrick Perkins.
The bad blood between Green and Perkins first came to a boil this time around during the Western Conference semifinals, when the ESPN NBA analyst said Green was “afraid” to take shots against the Memphis Grizzlies and ridiculed his passing.
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“So some of those assists he’s getting to Steph Curry, Jordan Poole and Klay Thompson, I could go out there and get those same assists,” Perkins said on “First Take” ahead of Game 6 in the semifinals. “They wide open. Ain’t nothing but a pass. So don’t let Draymond Green sit up here and fool you like everything that come out his mouth is the gospel.”
Just like he did to address Perkins’ comments back in mid-May, Green took to Twitter on Monday to rehash the former NBA player’s claims.
“Not half bad for a guy who can’t pass,” Green tweeted along with the NBA’s post congratulating him on his 188 Finals assists and newfound position on the leaderboard.
And for anyone who might have thought he was referring to something else other than Perkins’ criticism, Green clarified in the comments below his tweet.
Even Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma got in on the fun, bringing an air of humor to what appears to be a never-ending clash between Green and Perkins while simultaneously offering congratulations to the Warriors star.
Green can in fact dish it, made all the more evident by his new ranking in Finals history. But he’s a historic threat on defense, too, as Dub Nation and the rest of the league know, joining LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Scottie Pippen as the only players to rank in the top 10 all-time in both assists and steals during the Finals. Green is No. 9 on the latter list with 52 steals in the Finals.
If past beef between Green and Perkins has taught us anything, a response from Perkins to Green’s tweets on Monday can be expected soon -- especially since Green's call-out came just hours after Perkins praised the 32-year-old's Game 2 performance.
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In the meantime, Green is likely reveling in the excitement from Sunday night’s win -- and his reputation as one of the top passers in Finals history.