Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green and New Orleans Pelicans point guard Rajon Rondo got into it at the end of the first half in Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinals series, as Green and Rondo are wont to do. Charles Barkley had opinions about that, and one player in particular, during TNT’s halftime report.
Green and Barkley have had some public arguments in the past, which might have helped lead to the following video.
Rondo and Draymond going at it pic.twitter.com/MG0NU9cWcv
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 2, 2018
Didn’t catch that? Behold, a transcript of the exchange between Barkley, Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith that reveals the complex emotions of Charles Barkley:
Barkley: “I just want someone to punch him in the face.”
Johnson: “American Express Halftime Report …”
Barkley: “I really do, I want someone to punch him in the face.”
Smith: “You don’t like Draymond?”
Barkley: “I want to punch him in the face so bad.”
Smith: “Why don’t you like Draymond?”
Barkley: “I’m just telling you, I want to punch his ass in the face.”
With Green still busy playing against the Pelicans and unable to respond immediately, his mother, the great Mary Babers-Green, stepped in against Barkley.
@NBAonTNT Charles Barkley I wish you would.. you think Shaq had you RUNNING! #MANGONE
— MBG (@BabersGreen) May 2, 2018
Dray ain’t scared… please believe that! Win or lose HE AINT RUNNING LIKE CHARLES DID!
— MBG (@BabersGreen) May 2, 2018
Meanwhile, Green was showing a different kind of fight with his defense, with some … low expectations for Rondo’s outside shooting, to say the least. Rondo fought back with a less than sanitary response.
draymond is so disrespectful for sagging back this far off rondo pic.twitter.com/LCmSxYlsUD
— Shea Serrano (@SheaSerrano) May 2, 2018
Rajon Rondo wiping his sweat all over the ball before Draymond attempted his second free throw gotta be the pettiest thing ive ever seen pic.twitter.com/AoKkBPAXJr
— Pettywise (@World_Wide_Wob) May 2, 2018
Both Green (20 points, 12 assists, nine rebounds) and Rondo (22 points, 12 assists, seven rebounds, five steals) posted near-triple-doubles, but the former’s Warriors edged the latter’s Pelicans to take a 2-0 series lead. Afterwards, Green turned his ire toward Barkley:
Draymond Green with a strong response to Charles Barkley saying he would punch him in the face pic.twitter.com/tBLRAei3zW
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) May 2, 2018
“He’s seen me a million times,” Green told reporters. “If you feel that strongly about it, then punch me in the face when you see me. If you’re not going to punch me in the face when you see me, then shut up. It’s no different than somebody sitting behind a computer screen tweeting, ‘I’ll knock you out,’ and you never see them in life. Well, he’s seen me a bunch of times, and he’ll see me again this year. Punch me in the face when you see me or not. No one cares what you would have done. You old, 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.”
Fun times in the NBA.
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