Draymond Green has evolved into one of the most interesting personalities in the NBA, and perhaps all of sports -- the vocal leader and emotional engine for one of the most compelling NBA teams in recent memory.
Green has agreed to give Marc J. Spears of ESPN's The Undefeated an exclusive look into his life on and off the court, via a playoff diary that Green hopes will end with a second straight NBA championship for the Golden State Warriors.
Diary entry No. 7: May 5, 2016
Golden State defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 110-99 on Tuesday in Oakland, California. Green posted 17 points, 14 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 blocks for the Warriors, who lead the second-round playoff series 2-0.
"I cut my nose shooting the ball. Actually, I did it the other day, before Game 1. Then I was shooting Sunday night to get some shots up and I got myself really bad. I do it from time to time; I just go up to shoot and catch my nose with my thumb. It's bad. I don't know how I do it, but usually when I do it, I'm shooting well.
"I was shooting well [Sunday] night, too. I felt my shot was good. But maybe I shouldn't have [put in the extra work] because I didn't shoot well in Game 2. I feel like my shot has been going good, but I just wanted to stay in that rhythm. I was in there until about 10 [on Sunday night] after getting there at 8 o'clock. Just trying to stay ready.
"I trash-talked to [Portland guard Damian Lillard] during Game 2. He said something back. Me and Dame are cool. We've been cool since the draft process. It is not something that I take personal, if he says something to me. I know it's not something that he takes personal. He's a competitor. I'm a competitor. I'm from Saginaw [Michigan]. He's from Oakland. It's kind of the same thing.
"It wasn't much. It wasn't no hard feelings or anything like that. Talking trash is part of the game. If we are all out there acting nice, then it would be a boring game to watch. If someone says something, and you don't say something back, then they are going to think they got you mentally. It's part of the competitive spirit.
"We were telling the refs, 'We good.' It's fun in the game. I enjoy that part of the game. And as a competitor, I'm sure [Lillard] does, too."
Warriors guard Stephen Curry has missed the first two games of the Blazers series because of a sprained MCL, and his status appears doubtful for Game 3 in Portland.
"Honestly, I don't know what's going on with Steph. I try not to worry about it. I let everyone else worry about that. We got to worry about what we have on the floor right now. As bad as we want him back, we can't plan on that. We have to plan to play without him. If he's out there, great."
"We know they're going to come out like, 'Oh, we let one go,' and come out all fired up. Portland is a great place to play. They have a great crowd. These guys are great at home. So we have to make sure we try to take over the game from the beginning.
"And also, while in Portland I will go to dinner with [Nike Basketball's] Nico [Harrison], Lynn [Merritt] and Adrian Stelly, relax and kick back. I've never done anything else in Portland other than go to the Nike employee store. I really enjoy going to the Nike employee store. That's always fun."