’No chance’ for Warriors as T-Wolves win Game 2, Draymond Green ‘targeted’? | FIRST THINGS FIRST

’No chance’ for Warriors as T-Wolves win Game 2, Draymond Green ‘targeted’? | FIRST THINGS FIRST

This is a show that’s heard your criticism and you’re right. Does Jason Tatum even belong in the NBA anymore? Maybe we should go to the G-League, right guys? Oh yeah, great takes. Who’s Who said that? Nobody. But okay, he has naming name. No, the Kobe Bryant of Paul Georgees. That was not that I don’t know Jason Tatum. Has he ever done anything? Google it. Just Google Just Google Jason Tatum. And you know what’s going to come up? Jason Tatum with the finals trophy. I mean today what might come up is the Kobe Bryant Paul Georgees. But game I don’t know. Nah is I don’t have any eligibility left. People are going way too extreme. Maybe he can replace. Well, you know what the world needs balance? Cuz two games ago people were going a little too extreme. Is he going to be the best player in the league in the face of the league? So sometimes the show was saying that. Yeah. The show. the show. We’re closer to face of the league. He’s one of the out of the league. I don’t know about that. All right, we’re starting with no step, no chance. Uh, Wolves never trailed in this one as they cruise to a 24-point victory to even the series at one a piece. Playoff Jimmy. Okay. Uh, he only took 13 shots, 17 points, seven rebounds. It’s got to be needed. Like maybe if we get to like maybe uh were you surprised that Jimmy had a relatively quiet game? No, because so I had skepticism on what playoff Jimmy was going to look like this year with a month left in the year because playoff Jimmy from a statistical perspective in Miami meant. His numbers jumped like five or six points per game from the regular season of playoffs, which is remarkable. That’s what Jamal Murray’s done for his career, and it’s the biggest jump for a career in league history. The reason for my skepticism was what that meant in Miami was he went from being a guy scoring 21 or 22 a game to a guy scoring 27 28 when this year in Miami and in Golden State he was more like 17 a game. So even if you have that jump, is it as impactful? Then he scored 30 in game 82 and 38 in the game. That doesn’t count to history, but I watched it happen, the playin game. It’s like, oh, maybe I was going to be wrong. And then he fell on his butt and hurt himself. And so I don’t know if he was going to be able to activate. I do know that since then he has not been able to activate. He’s still obviously a good, impactful, smart player. But what they need from him and what they needed from him last night was what he was implying there at the end. Oh, I could have given but the game didn’t I didn’t think the game demanded it. The game demanded it. Yeah, they they couldn’t score at all. I didn’t think Minnesota played that well and they were in control the entire time. So, I’m not surprised because I don’t think he’s quite as good as he was a few years ago. He’s not 100% healthy and as Brew as limited in talent as those Heat teams were, they at least had a bunch of guys you had to trust as shooters, you know what I mean? That created some space for Jimmy to work in the middle. This Warriors team doesn’t have as much as that, particularly the lineups they’re playing. So, no, I wasn’t surprised. Yeah, I I was more surprised by his quote. I said yesterday the 24 and a half was the overunder under. I expected under 24 points, but for him Jimmy like like you said, it’s needed, bro. Probably it 40 43 53 whatever like you have to go down swinging. And I agree with Nick. I don’t think he’s 35 years old. Yeah. Even when he was at his best and he was very good. He’s a Hall of Fame player. He’s not LeBron James. He’s not Steph Curry. He’s not somebody that just can dial up 30 points at will. He’s not. No, he’s a very, like I said, a future Hall of Fame player. Guts, will, toughness, all of that. And at 35, he does have to flip the switch from a second option, which is what is quote suggested. Yeah. To a first option. Yes, he was a second option with Steph. Perfect second option. Accepted that role. Does all the little things and can score. That’s great. But now you’re the first option. But the problem is he’s not a first option on a championship team anymore. And it never has been. Correct. To win a championship. And so that I but I want him to go out swinging. There’s nobody to pass to. He he mentioned I get my teammates involve Moses Moody airbo bowled a sevenfooter last year. I think that’ll be weird. Yeah. So no, Jimmy, you got to score. Um, this was your take on the Nuggets where they’re just trying to buy time and shorten the series to maybe get to a game seven. Steve Kerr all year has been taking the long view. They’re winning. He’s like, I’m going to shut Steph down. The Warriors played 14 guys in the first half yesterday. Here was his quote after it. We went into the game thinking we’d play a lot of people, short burst minutes, try to protect Jimmy and Draymond. They’ve been playing huge minutes every other day, flying all over the country. Yeah. Uh, we had to weigh that. So, do you think there’s an element of I don’t want to say give away the game, but Steve, they did give away they did wave the white flag early in game five against the Rockets. So, it’s like Steve Curry like this isn’t our game. So I’m not gonna you know we got I don’t think they went in they they went in trying once it gets away from you but they still but I guess they they Jimmy still played 34 minutes and I here’s the other listen you guys know how great of a coach I think Steve Cerr is. I I view him playing 14 different guys a little bit differently. And he had another quote about, “Hey, we had a way we were playing that was working is once they got Jimmy that really revolved obviously around what the offense Steph creates for himself and for everyone else by virtue of being on the floor.” He goes, “We have to create a whole new style on the fly.” I I looked at yesterday as like live auditions. Yeah. You know what I mean? Like they played 14 guys in the first quarter, right? And so that’s exactly what happened. And so it was that and you know you know who might have came out of it like the one positive of the worst like oh is that a heartbeat from Jonathan Kaminga? You know what I mean? After he had been put on ice cuz they’re going to and I give him credit his attitude. I’m sure they’ve talked to him but he’s shown a good attitude. Correct. And so I just think they I thought they were at a significant disadvantage in the series with Steph playing. Now Steph isn’t playing. And what your point that I thought was a fun thought exercise of the if the Warriors were just given Jimmy Butler, you know, like that how we’d look at it. We now to me to me we have a few weeks of playoff basketball to say Jimmy Butler right now is the making it up 18th best player in the world. And if that guy’s your best player unless you know what I mean, he’s not as good as Anthony Edwards, right? And so you’re just you’re you’re going to be in a rough spot particularly if the best guy on your team is right around you know top 20 and he’s on the court with Quinton Post and the lacrosse kid and you know all this. So like who who plays well when he’s in his own I mean he’s better than I would expect. Yeah it’s better than I would expect but he is still the lacrosse kid. I mean it’s a tough spot. Yeah I’m still lacrosse kid. Moving on. Second quarter. Draymond fouled by Nas Reed, but the resulting flail earned Draymond a tech. Uh Steph then talked to Draymond and Steve Kerr eventually subbed him out of the game. And now in the fourth quarter, while Draymond was on an exercise bike, a fan was ejected for allegedly directing a racial slur at Draymond. According to the Athletic Brew, your reaction. Well, Draymond was obviously very upset and he almost looked at time like a little out of breath like you know like he was maybe even a little uncomfortable. He loves talking for him not to talk after the game and stuff like so he obviously was upset he had the incident with the fan and I think I think that may have triggered what he said because Draymond to my knowledge I’ve never heard him talk about being portrayed as an angry black man and he’s obviously had plenty of opportunities to do so. So if he was triggered or something that fan said led to this comment by him, he gets a full pass from me on this. If that if he if he was, you know, triggered by that, then that’s fine with me. That said, from a basketball standpoint, like what else would Drape just a basketball standpoint cuz he talked about, you know, I I’m intelligent. I don’t know if you said that word, but I’m married, you know, successful family. The thing and all that I think is true, but the fans, most people only know Draymond from what he portrays on the court. They don’t know about your family life. They don’t know what you’re like with your wife and your children and in the community and things like that. And so people looking at you, Draymond, just on the basketball court, what would you expect them to think you are? Now, I I’m not playing into or defending the angry black man stereotype, but ju you can be a black man and be angry just like cuz you’re a human being. Like like we’re human beings. We have the right to be angry just like anybody else. And in this society, what’s happened to us, what still happens to us, we should be angry at times. And so I’m not saying he can’t be angry, but I’m saying like the way Draymond, he said he’s portrayed as an angry black man. Sick of it. He portrays himself as an angry and unruly black man. A man who’s black. There you go. On the basketball court. Yes. like Dre, he’s punched out a teammate who happened to be black. He’s strangled an opponent, Rudy Gobear, who happens to be black. He’s cussed out famously his head coach. He’s white. He’s kicked and smacked numerous players, most of whom are probably black. And so, I’m just saying like, you don’t have to be the angry black man stereotype to be a man who’s black who comes off as angry. And so I’m just saying to Draymond and I look as a as a strong, smart, successful black man, I’m with you, Draymond. But on the basketball court, you do portray yourself like like as unruly as a ticking time bomb. And he is and he is like a game ago. He said he had to get him he was embarrassed and ashamed of how he played and acted in game six and had to you know calm himself and play better for game seven. I this is to me this is incredibly complicated while being incredibly simple. The incredibly complicated part is what Bruce said at the beginning. What did the fan say? What it would if the f as as the athletic reported the fan threw a racial slur at him. that built up in Draymond and that then there is also the added baggage like you’re talking about of that black men in America might feel they carry around all the time of like you know what I mean are you going to portray me some way particularly guy who’s 66 or all that stuff that is complicated and messy and there’s a lot there then there is the utter simplicity to me of the way Draymond is portrayed trade as a basketball player is the doing of one person, one person only and it’s Draymond Green and it was and it is so I agree with Wilds and I have talked on this off the air and I think on the air as well. We both have people we either have done business with or are good friends with that are tight with Draymond and swear by Draymond the guy and everything he said about successful, intelligent, great family guy. That’s all obviously true. It is all to me also wholly irrelevant to this fact. He with regularity loses control on the basketball court unlike any player in modern NBA history. The only comp with this regularity was Rodman. And Rodman didn’t then go out and play victim. And I’m not talking about Rodman was different. was like not really going at opponents and people like that, right? But but Rodman also understood he was courting this criticism and leaned into it and for Draymond at the end there to say I’m tired of it. I’m sick of it as if we could. So yesterday after the run the hit and then the react his reaction when he found out he got the technical foul. I think someone with self-awareness would recognize 99% of NBA players after getting a technical foul for that if what they then did was this and walk up to the ref they would be thrown out of the game. And if the playoffs just run now the clips he is at five technicals two flagrants these playoffs he we can just he it is almost a daily game occurrence where he has done something that none of these are unreasonable technicals. None of these are unreasonable where it’s like he’s getting picked on. And so I I find it to be totally honest embarrassing that Draymond Green who just forget punching Jordan P just in the last 24 months stomped on Sabonis’s chest backfisted Nerkach choked out Goar had to leave the team to go to anger management right to then be like I act like he is being unfairly targeted. I I view it, Brew, as actually the opposite. I think he has the longest leash with officials of any player I’ve ever seen. He does. And so I I I I don’t think he is unfairly targeted the way I felt Rasheed used to be for technicals. You know what I felt like Rasheed could just look at her be like, “Forget it. Tech.” I think Draymond gets away with more than any player I’ve ever seen. And for him to then say this I I think is really really just a copout. And where the lease really shows up is after the first T. Yes. Cuz they’re like we don’t really want to eject him. We know he’s a great player. How important he is to this team. So they give him a lot of rope after that first T. And for Draymond to say an agenda. So why’ they pick you? This 400 black players in the league. Why you to be the one that’s going to the agenda’s against? So it’s just and again if this was a result of that fan I’m with you Draymond mine I support you but if this is from a basketball standpoint you just do portray yourself as this angry unruly man who happens to be black. Can I and can I add one other thing because there has been in the last four nights of NBA playoffs three separate instances of a player who was fouled and then flailed into a guy’s head. Draymond in I keep forgetting who it was against in game one. Uh but it was the No, Draymond in game seven against Fred Van Vleet, Joker against Lou Dort in game one, and then Draymond last night. Joker’s was adjudicated as a flagrant as Draymond’s both of them were adjudicated as a dead ball technical and that in I think very clearly is another example of them trying to cut Draymond a bit of a break because they know the flagrant points are accumulating and he could get thrown out and that’s kind of a gray area like the because that’s a flagrant foul but technically if it happens after the whistle you can call it a technical whatever it is and so I just I think somebody who it’s nine years ago he got suspended from a finals game for this stuff. nine years ago. And for him to say, “Woe is me. They’re out to get me.” And I think also invoke in invoke race in a way again the fan thing it complicates it. But as Bruce said, this is an overwhelmingly black league. And the idea that it’s as if it were, you’re right, as if it were the demographics of the NHL and it’s like one of the few black guys you’re always given five minutee majors to. That just doesn’t pass to me the smell test on this. Can I ask you a question, bro? Yeah. This is a Do you remember when um in the finals in the Celtics I didn’t I didn’t pull the video. He stood over Jaylen. Stood over Jay Brown. pull these paint well and he was trying to get up and then afterwards he had a quote that said like I knew I had them at that point the quote and then both Jaylen and Draymond were on TNT I think a year or two later and this is the quote from Jaylen Brown to Draymond when you went to that level of force in the finals we weren’t ready but we’re going to be ready this time is there an element of the the word angry black man or the phrase that is sort of triggering where and you see Steve Kerr and even Rudy Gobear is like he is a fierce competitor. Is is is he getting do you think that he wants to be viewed as a fierce competitor and that’s what it takes to win on the highest level and I’m fierce the the most fierce competitor but I’m not angry. Does that make sense that he he well trying to balance those two? I I do think he uses that as a competitive advantage and he’s great at it. is the best at it. He’s got the rings used it. Rodman used it like several other players. He is kind of an enforcer, you know, not out of control. He’s like, I’m actually in control. But I think he that’s why I do think he he can lose he feels like he’s darn near out of control because Steph has curls. Yeah. Like the players you they seem to just be hoping and praying he does not do anything. Now I I will say this, this might play into what you’re saying. He feels much different than Ryan Artes did or Meta World Peace. Yes, Ryan felt scary. Felt like he would lose control and who knows what he might I mean he was obviously a part of the malice at the palace, but just even other inc I mean I I was at Madison Square Garden where he threw cameras and monitors in the tunnel like after a game. So Ron definitely had more I think real issues at that time than Draymond. Draymond, it is part of his thing, part of his competitive advantage. He probably did that to Jaylen to get in his head. No question about it. But he also looks at times like he’s not like he’s just too far out of control, I guess. and and and look and you can’t expect regular human beings to decipher is he angry is he is he you know doing it on per like you look he looks angry but it also also I am not criticizing I think there is a basketball edge that can be gained from if you foul me I might hit you in the face so you know maybe don’t guard me as tight like that and you know what I I’ll deal with the penalty like that you can give there’s a real pro and con to it the game he got flagrant and a technical against Houston. Game four, I think it was the Yeah, it was when Shingun missed. I came on here and I said, “Put that game on Draymond’s tombstone because he did every single thing he could do up until the line.” That’s totally separate from then after the penalty comes in, you lose your mind on the ref. Steph has to calm you down and they might kick you out. You don’t There’s no competitive edge from gained from that. And there is no competitive edge from not taking accountability after the fact. He even said a few games ago, I in the Houston series, I lost you all. Like I was right. He apologized to his teammates. So, and like you said, went to anger management and was that just a PR thing or was it real? But he did go there. So, yeah, it’s Thanks for watching. Subscribe here to get more from the show and to check out clips from other shows on FS1.

The Minnesota Timberwolves blew out the Golden State Warriors 117-93 as Stephen Curry is expected to miss an unknown amount of time. Nick Wright, Chris Broussard, and Kevin Wildes discuss Jimmy Butler’s lackluster performance in Game 2 and if the series is over. Plus, they discuss Draymond Green’s comments following a comment by a fan and if he’s targeted by officials.

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’No chance’ for Warriors as T-Wolves win Game 2, Draymond Green ‘targeted’? | FIRST THINGS FIRST

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