BARKLEY STANDS DOWN
Announcer annoyed with Green but doesn’t want fight
OAKLAND >> Draymond Green turned out correct. Charles Barkley will not punch the Warriors’ forward in the face.
Instead, Barkley expressed remorse for saying on TNT’s halftime show of the Warriors’ Game 2 win over New Orleans on Tuesday that he would like to “punch [Draymond] in the face” because of his demonstrative outbursts toward opponents. Barkley also challenged Green’s opponents to do the same thing.
“I apologize to Draymond Green and his mom,” Barkley said on TNT on Wednesday. “What I said was inappropriate. I would never punch an NBA player. I meant what I said, but I would never punch an NBA player. Draymond Green is a good player. I think he’s a nice kid. I wish him nothing but the best. But what I said was inappropriate.”
Green also considered the comments inappropriate. Following Tuesday’s game, Green
challenged Barkley to “punch me in my face when you see me.” Green added, “If you’re not going to punch me in my face when you see me, then shut up.” Green likened Barkley’s commentary to fans that make aimless threats on Twitter.
“Draymond is a hell of a player,” Barkley said on TNT on Wednesday. “He’s an irritant. He annoys me at times. He’s a hell of a player. But what I said was wrong and I apologize.”
• The net made a swishing sound at a rapid pace. That only meant one thing. Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant resumed their postpractice shooting workout. The routine stopped temporarily when Curry spent over four weeks rehabbing a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his left knee. Curry and Durant resumed what has become the most entertaining part of the team’s practice. Once it opens to reporters, the two stars fire off 3-pointers and jumpers with stunning accuracy.
“When you get a chance to work with one of the best to ever play, it sharpens you as well,” Durant said. “Steel sharpens steel. He makes me better, and I make him better.”
In the Warriors’ Game 2 victory over New Orleans on Tuesday, Curry did not show any rust with 28 points while shooting 8 of 15 from the field and 5 of 10 from 3-point range in 27 minutes off the bench. With that performance, coach Steve Kerr admitted Curry will start Game 3.
Durant played as if he was rusty. Though he had a team-leading 29 points, Durant went a combined 6 of 17 from the field in the first three quarters.
“I was rushing a little bit too much, and then I missed a few calls trying to find it so quickly,” Durant said. “I just tried to slow down in the fourth (quarter). My teammates did a good job of slowing the pace for me, finding me in the post and moving off the ball.”
And as a result, Durant had 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting in the fourth quarter. He made a turnaround jumper, forced a turnover and set up Curry for a 3-pointer that gave the Warriors a 119-106 cushion with 1:47 left.
The Warriors, up 2-0 entering Game 3 of their second-round series in New Orleans on Friday, expect Durant to benefit from Curry’s presence. Durant played just fine without Curry in the postseason, averaging 27.9 points on 47.9 percent shooting in six playoff games.
“On offense, it definitely picks the pace up for us. Defensively, I think we stick to the same principles. When Steph is not out there, it’s not a lot of off-ball movement to space,” Durant said. “It’s obviously different not having him out there. But when he’s out there, he’s creating space with his movement off the ball and in the pick-and-roll.”
When Curry is out there, Durant also has a partner for his shooting routine. Eventually, though, those joint shooting sessions could translate into Durant having a more efficient performance.
“It’s more sharpening each other man. It’s never a competition,” Durant said. “It’s just about going out there and trying to get better.”
• With the Pelicans failing to slow the Warriors in Oakland, only a few solutions remain. Hope the Warriors eat too much fried food. Hope they consume too many Hurricanes. Hope they suddenly experience regular-season complacency.
“We have to understand our defense needs to travel and be our calling card as we go to New Orleans,” Curry said. “There’s so many runs they can put up. When the crowd gets into it, it’s a different environment.”
Because of that environment, Green said that “Game 3 is usually one of the most important games in every series.”
“I expect a rowdy crowd. I expect all of New Orleans to be there,” Warriors guard Klay Thompson said. “Game 3 is pivotal, so I expect them to come with their energy.”
• As if Green didn’t annoy the Pelicans enough Tuesday night, the referees got under their skin, too.
“Free throws, 59-20,” Pelicans reserve Solomon Hill just happened to shout into the crowd of reporters interviewing teammate Ian Clark.
That disparity represents the running total of foul shots through two games of this semifinal series, and the Pelicans aren’t happy about it. Anthony Davis didn’t shoot a foul shot during his 43 minutes on the floor in Game 2. Neither did Jrue Holiday over 46.5 minutes.
“I mean, I don’t think I shot that many jumpers,” Davis said pointedly after the 121-116 loss, noting his penchant for driving into traffic. “We’re both attacking the basket.”