The Western Conference semifinal series that features the Golden State Warriors somehow devolved into a contretemps between one of the Warriors players and a TV analyst.
Given that the characters involved are Draymond Green and Charles Barkley, perhaps it’s no surprise that it was go time as the Warriors were taking a 2-0 lead in the series against New Orleans because the Hall of Famer and the Golden State player have a fair bit of history.
In the latest installment, Sir Charles kicked things off by expressing his desire for a punchfest, saying, as the TNT halftime show began: “I just want somebody to punch him in the face.”
Ernie Johnson tried gamely to segue, but Barkley continued, “I really do. I want someone to punch him in the face.”
Kenny Smith poked the bear with a rhetorical flourish: “You don’t like Draymond?” And Barkley repeated his theme. “I want to punch him in the face so bad.” When Smith inquired why again, Barkley added: “I’m just telling you, I want to punch his a — in the face. I do.”
Shaquille O’Neal put an end to the matter with a quick, “When Chuck get [sic] like that, just leave him alone.”
Green wasn’t about to leave it alone, though, after his 20-point, nine-rebound, 12-assist performance.
“He’s seen me a million times,” Green said. “If he feels that strongly about it, then punch me in my face when you see me. If you’re not going to punch me in my face when you see me, then shut up. It’s no different than someone sitting behind a computer screen, tweeting, ‘I’ll knock you out’ and you never see them in life.
“He’s seen me a bunch of times and he’ll see me again this year [when TNT broadcasts the Western Conference finals]. Punch me in the face when you see me or, if not, no one cares what you would have done. You old [sic] and it is what it is. So, if you ain’t going to punch me when you see me, then stop talking about it. Period.”
Because of his penchant for delivering groin kicks and trash talk in ample measures, Green has drawn comparisons to Barkley, something he profanely dismissed a year ago.
“Hell no,” Green said, when asked by ESPN’s Chris Haynes if he is Barkley 2.0. “I’m the modern-day Draymond Green. F— no.”
And Barkley, who famously said during his playing days that he was no role model, wasn’t one for Green.
“[Chuck] told y’all in ’90-what that he wasn’t your kid’s role model anyway … so there you have it,” Green said. “He wasn’t my role model. I grew up in Saginaw, Michigan. … That’s what you do, you talk. You talk junk during basketball. That’s how I was raised. I was raised in a family like that, so I didn’t need a Charles Barkley to influence me.”
In that ad, Barkley said he was “paid to wreak havoc on the basketball court. Parents should be role models.”
Added Green: “I wasn’t a Charles Barkley fan growing up. No disrespect to Chuck. He’s a great player, but as I got older, I watched his game because I knew he was undersized and the things that he could do, I tried to add some of that stuff to my game. But nah, he didn’t influence me at all.”
Green, though, admitted that he strives to be a role model although, like Chuck, he doesn’t want to be.
“I try to be,” he told ESPN. “But it’s not my decision on whether I’m somebody’s role model or not, but I try to be the model citizen.”
His mom, Mary, was a big influence and she was quick to jump in Tuesday night.
In a February 2017 “Dray Day” podcast, Green ripped Barkley for criticizing LeBron James, telling Marcus Thompson II: “I’m all for destroying Barkley. You know, Barkley talk [sic] a lot. A whole lot for a guy who has not won a championship. … I think Shaq should talk about the champions. Kenny should talk about the champions. Ernie can talk about the champions. When it comes time to speak about someone who has a championship, Barkley should be muted. You know how on … [ESPN’s] ‘Around the Horn’ where they just ice somebody out on the screen? They should be able to do that with Barkley any time the name of a champion come up.”
On Tuesday night, Green raised a different point about the whole threat. “I think it’s pretty sad. It’s probably something that needs to … when you look at the president of TNT, David Levy, which [sic] I know well, it’s kind of embarrassing on their behalf. … I’m an employee of the NBA, he’s an employee of TNT … and you have your biggest sponsor, one of the faces of that company, saying that on national television,” he said (via the Athletic’s Tim Kawakami. “That’s embarrassing for them, so that’s something — a problem that they have.”
Green added that he wasn’t upset “by a guy who just talks. It is what it is, but it’s still embarrassing on their behalf.”
Back to you, Charles.
Read more on the NBA from The Post:
Global ambassador Drake skirmishes with Cavs’ Kendrick Perkins
LeBron James finally called for lane violation on a free throw
The banged-up Celtics aren’t as talented as the Sixers. They didn’t need to be in Game 1.
Why is there a snake on the Philadelphia 76ers’ court?
‘A leader should say that’: Paul Pierce loved John Wall’s comments about Wizards teammates
Impressive as it was, the Pacers’ Victor Oladipo isn’t satisfied with his breakout season
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