Warriors star Draymond Green slammed after NBA Finals trash talk backfires

The Boston Celtics took care of business in the NBA Finals on the home court to win game three over the Golden State Warriors, thanks to a standout performance from Jaylen Brown.

After winning game one in Golden State, the Celtics copped a reality check in game two as the Warriors imposed their championship pedigree on the series.

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Game three loomed as a crucial juncture for both teams, with the Celtics looking to hold on to their hard-won home court advantage and the Warriors looking to regain that advantage for themselves.

After a slightly chippy affair in game two, punctuated by some disbelief from fans that Warriors star Draymond Green avoided being ejected from the game with a second technical foul, the pressure was on the defensive superstar to back up the excessive trash talking he'd been doling out.

Instead, as the Celtics took advantage of a big first quarter and gripping fourth to claim a 116-100 win, capped by Brown's 27 points, 17 of which came in the opening stanza.

After making much of Golden State's recent championship history, as well as his own defensive skills, Green was the subject of boos, chants and taunts from the Boston crowd throughout the game.

The antagonism from the crowd reached a fever pitch with four minutes to play in the fourth quarter, when Green picked up his sixth and disqualifying foul, heading back to the bench with just two points, four rebounds and three assists for his 35 minutes of playing time.

While Green is hardly the focal point of the Warriors' offence, his relatively limited contributions on both ends of the floor did not go unnoticed by NBA fans on social media.

Many wasted no time in calling out Green for the performance.

The fourth game in the best-of-seven series is set for Friday in Boston.

Tatum had nine assists and Brown added five to go along with nine rebounds.

Boston's Marcus Smart finished with 24 points after mustering just two in the Celtics' 107-88 loss in Game 2 on Sunday.

Draymond Green owns up to miserable NBA Finals performance

For his part, Green was more than willing to accept that his game three performance had been sub-par.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Green admitted he had played 'like ***t' and vowed to bounce back in the pivotal game four.

"I was soft," Green said plainly after the loss.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr and star shooting guard Klay Thompson were both less than impressed by the treatment Green copped from fans.

"We've played in front of rude people before," Thompson said. "Dropping F-bombs with children in the crowd. Really classy. Good job, Boston."

Kerr was also asked about the Draymond treatment. His answer was more succinct.

"Classy," Kerr said. "Very classy."

Golden State star Stephen Curry overcame early foul trouble to make six 3-pointers and finish with a game-high 31 points.

Curry remained in the game with 4:07 to play in the fourth quarter despite appearing to injure his left leg while vying for a loose ball.

Klay Thompson had 25 points and Andrew Wiggins added 18 for the Warriors, who benefited from their third straight strong third quarter in the series to trim their deficit to four points entering the fourth.

Tatum made two foul shots to start the fourth quarter and steer Boston to a 107-96 lead with 5:53 to play.

Smart sank a corner 3-pointer and made a bank shot to give the Celtics a 114-100 lead with 2:19 remaining.

Golden State, who outscored Boston by a 73-38 margin in the third quarter of Games 1 and 2, hoped for similar domination on Wednesday after entering the period with a 12-point deficit.

Curry drained back-to-back 3-pointers and made two more to give the Warriors an 83-82 lead before Smart answered from beyond the arc on the next possession.

With AAP

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