Draymond Green on Cleveland: 'Don’t seem to be the sharpest people around'
CLEVELAND – Move over, Joakim Noah.
Cleveland sports fans have a renewed reason to direct their ire elsewhere.
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has been Cleveland's public enemy No. 1 since 2015, the first round of their ongoing NBA Finals trilogy. He was back at it again on Friday night.
Green's loaded comments came in the wake of a wild Game 4 that saw the Cavs save their season.
It appeared that Green had been ejected after picking up his second technical foul in the third quarter of the Cavs’ 136-117 win. A miscommunication on the part of the referees had incorrectly attributed a first-quarter technical foul to Green as well when it was intended for coach Steve Kerr.
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Green didn’t miss his chance to take a dig at Cleveland.
“I really don’t pay much attention to anyone in Cleveland, honestly,” Green said, speaking to the technical foul mix-up. “They don’t seem to be the sharpest people around.”
That slight won’t soon be forgotten by Cavs fans, who well remember Noah’s knock on the city in 2010.
“You think Cleveland’s cool?” the former Chicago Bulls center said of his rivalry with the Cavs. “I never heard anybody say I’m going to Cleveland on vacation.”
On Friday night, Quicken Loans game operations played the classic “Hit the Road Jack” anthem to rile up the crowd, only Green hadn’t actually been ejected.
“They messed that one up bad,” Green quipped. Green appeared to egg the crowd on after his ejection was announced, though Green says he knew it wasn’t his second technical foul.
For the second consecutive game, Green was serenaded with cheers of “Draymond sucks!” from Cavs fans.
“They make me feel good,” Green said. “They show me how important I am to them. They are at home thinking about me. If you come into the game chanting my name, you be at home thinking about me. So shoutout to them for the love.”
Green was of course suspended for last year’s Game 5 after hitting LeBron James in the groin. That was the start of last year’s 3-1 collapse.
The Warriors hold the same 3-1 heading back to Oakland ahead of Game 5 on Monday night.