Following reports of locker room tension between Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics, Draymond Green weighed in on what he considers to be a typical behavior of a “winning team” in the NBA.
During his usual appearance on NBA on TNT, Green addressed the recent turmoil involving the Celtics and made an interesting explanation why he thinks winners argue more with each other.
“The reality is, though, I think winning teams argue way more than losing teams,” the three-time NBA All-Star said (via Uproxx). “Because losing teams, they bicker. So if I’m on a losing team, I’m gonna come to you, Ernie, and say, ‘Hey man, Shaq ain’t pass me the ball and he’s freezing me out.’ And then you partner up with me, and me and you look at Shaq like he’s crazy. A winning team is gonna say, ‘Jayson, your body language was terrible in the first quarter,’ because that’s what I saw when I was watching the game. Their offense is on the run, they’re up a couple points, and he’s not touching the ball and he’s dropping his shoulders, but you’re the best player on the team. So yes, I am going to say something about that.”
“Winning teams will always argue more than losing teams,” Draymond Green continued. “And in fact, the media can love losing teams if they want, if they don’t want any arguing, and those teams will just lose, and that’s that.”
Long considered to be the soul of the Golden State Warriors, Draymond is no stranger to locker room arguments, famously — or infamously, depending on your point of view — getting involved in disputes with Kevin Durant and Steve Kerr (the latter of which nearly required the police to intervene).
Green's comments remain interesting, not only because of his own past experiences in similar situations but also because it once again displays his willingness to speak candidly of locker room dynamics. While players turned analysts are usually derided for speaking in cliches that provide little insight, Draymond's openness has earned him praise from around the league, even if his comments are also accompanied by fines from the league office.
Whether or not the Boston Celtics' locker room tension spurs them on in the 2020 NBA playoffs remains to be seen, however.
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