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Veteran Miami Heat striker Udonis Haslem had some words chosen for Golden State Warriors striker Draymond Green after Miami’s 111-103 victory over the Boston Celtics in the sixth game of the Conference Finals from the East on Friday.
For Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes, Haslem disagreed with Green’s comments after the Celtics defeated the Heat in Game 5. At the time, Green appeared on TNT. Within the NBA and he said, “I’ll tell you who I think we’re going to play. We’re going to play in Boston. He’s who we’re going to play.”
Haslem responded after Miami’s sixth game win, saying, “Draymond broke the code. You’re not supposed to say anything like that. That’s disrespectful. He knows better than that.”
Now, the Heat and Celtics are gearing up for a 7th game that will take the winner to Miami on Sunday to determine the Warriors’ opponent in the NBA Finals.
As for Green choosing the Celtics to win the ECF, Haslem expressed his conviction Within the NBA Host Shaquille O’Neal pressured him to make a selection, saying, “He let Shaq pressure him to say some shit, he has nothing to say. I didn’t sleep long after saying that. That was it. toros – t. “
Heat striker PJ Tucker also appeared to have problems with Green, and called it “crazy” to have a team out.
Miami seemed apathetic at times in Game 4 and 5 losses to the Celtics to fall behind 3-2 in the series, but the Heat changed things significantly in Game 6 thanks in large part to the play of Jimmy Butler.
Butler left Miami’s 3rd game win with a knee injury, and although he played in Games 4 and 5, he was clearly not close to 100 percent and struggled.
Game 6 was a different story as Butler led all scorers with 47 points to the finish along with nine rebounds, eight assists and four steals.
Miami also made a great effort from veteran baseman Kyle Lowry, who recorded 18 points and 10 assists after fighting for much of the series.
Now, the Heat seem to be firing on all cylinders and returning home to Miami for Game 7, shifting some of the pressure to Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and the Celtics.
Bulletin board material has long been a topic of discussion in sports, and while it’s unclear whether Green’s comments played a role in the performance of Heat’s Game 6, some extra motivation never it doesn’t hurt.
If the Heat manage to prevail in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals on their home court, they may bring that motivation with them to the NBA Finals against Green and the Warriors.