"He’s not talking about Jaylen Brown, he’s not talking about Tatum" - Isiah Thomas highlights Draymond Green's lack of focus as Warriors lose Game 3 to Celtics

After all the talk he did during and after Game 2, Draymond Green came up with one of the worst performances in NBA Finals history. The guy who often preached physicality, championship DNA and smarts showed none of those in an embarrassing Game 3 display.

Two-time NBA champ Isiah Thomas, who covered the game for NBA TV, pointed out that Green just had the biggest dud in his potential Hall of Fame career. The former member of the “Bad Boys,” who’s no stranger to controversy, explained what many thought was the reason for the atrocious display.

Here’s Thomas on why Green struggled so badly in Thursday's 116-100 loss in Boston:

“This is what the NBA Finals is all about, and right now, he has lost focus in terms of concentrating on beating the opponent. He’s not talking about Jaylen Brown, he’s not talking about Tatum, he’s not talking about Marcus Smart. He’s talking about podcast, and he’s talking about Cedric Maxwell and the fans.”

Thomas was talking about Green’s beef with Boston Celtics great Cedric Maxwell, who didn’t take kindly to the Warriors forward’s antics in Game 2. “Cornbread” minced no words when he said that Green would be knocked out for his shenanigans in the Celtics’ only loss in the NBA Finals.

Another off-court issue that seems to have Green preoccupied is his podcast, which is emerging as a favorite among basketball fans. He consistently gets on with his show sometimes, even just a few hours after a game. The energy he emits in his podcasts was sorely lacking in battling Robert Williams for rebounds in Game 3.

Thomas is 100% convinced that the comments and criticism Green received were on the 31-year-old forward’s mind. The Hall of Famer said:

“You’re talking about Cedric Maxwell, and you’re talking about podcast and you’re talking about the fans, then you’ve really lost your concentration and your focus.

"And where does that show up? They show up in the box score and in a game like tonight where you play 34 minutes, you have four rebounds, three assists and two points. Draymond Green does that in a grade school game, not in the NBA Finals.”

The Golden State Warriors trail 2-1 to the Celtcis in the series following a game in which Steph Curry and Klay Thompson played well enough to win. Dub Nation will be ruing over the next few days if Green’s performance cost them what could have been a decisive win.

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Draymond Green admitted on his show that he was worried about the referees calling an early technical foul

Draymond Green didn't back up his talk in the Golden State Warriors' Game 3 loss to the Boston Celtics. [Photo: AS USA]

After what he described as a “s**t” of a game, Green got on his podcast and relayed part of the reason why he struggled. He said that he was concerned that the officials would call an early technical foul, which happened in Game 2.

What he said was ironic considering that he gloated on Twitter about the refs giving him a “differential treatment.” He had said he’s enjoying and embracing the way game officials call games where he’s involved in.

Well, that didn’t work out for him, per Micah Adams:

“How bad was Draymond Green? There have been 2,553 instances of a player logging at least 34 minutes in an NBA Finals game, he is the first one of them to foul out with fewer than five points, five rebounds and five assists. Arguably the least impactful game in Finals history.”

Green also vowed to get back to his Game 2 performance for the rest of the series to turn things around. It’s almost unfortunate to hear that he has to make it like a circus act to help his team in the NBA Finals. The Warriors’ charismatic leader could simply go back to his trademark great defense, energy and hustle without all the fuss.