Allen emphasizes Draymond respect after GOAT defender spat

Warriors

Allen emphasizes Draymond respect after GOAT defender spat

The two might have been rivals on the court, but former NBA player Tony Allen emphasized that he has immense respect for Warriors forward Draymond Green’s effort on the defensive end of the court.

“While we talking about Draymond, big shout out, that’s my man. I know we had a few verbals on Twitter, but you know I respect that kind of cat. I can’t even hold you, the way he play, his style of play, the cloth he cut from, I think he could have probably played in the ninth,” Allen said on “Warriors Playoff Central.” “I respect cats like that, that wasn’t nothing but a skirmish, hopefully we can drink some wine and have a cigar and talk about that 2015 (Western Conference Semifinals), because you know, had I not gotten hurt, I think I scared him a little bit.”

The “verbals” Allen referenced go back to comments Green made on the “Dubs Talk” podcast, in which he called himself the best defender in NBA history. Allen initially responded by asking who Green had “clamped” during his career.

Green fired back by calling out Allen’s offensive contributions during that 2015 Western Conference Semifinals series.

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The Warriors switched up their defensive strategy after falling behind 2-1 to the Grizzlies in the series, having center Andrew Bogut cover Allen in order to allow for more focus on the Memphis frontcourt duo of Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph in the paint.

Allen had a retort, pointing out Green’s dip in points per game this season.

Green acknowledged that there was no beef between the two in a later tweet, simply saying the two were talking hoops.

Regardless, the two are among the best defenders in recent NBA history, and both have a championship pedigree in the league.

It would be some great entertainment to hear the two elite defenders go back through what was a fiercely competitive six-game series between the Warriors and Grizzlies.