Bam Adebayo tried to give Draymond Green a taste of his own medicine during the second quarter of the Miami Heat's win over the Warriors on Thursday night.
It didn't work.
After Green flexed on the Heat after making a layup and being fouled, cameras caught Adebayo and Green exchanging some words. Adebayo wasn't upset about Green's antics -- he was just trying to get inside his head, something the Warriors star has become adept at during his career.
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“I was just trying to get him out of his free-throw routine, just trying to manipulate the game," Adebayo said after the Heat's 116-109 win. "He made the free throw, though, but if you watch the tape, later on, he was like, ‘Man, I always do that.’ I was like, ‘I was just trying to make you miss the free throw. I don’t really care if you do it or not.'”
While his psychological warfare didn't work, Adebayo noted how he holds Green in high regard.
“He’s one of those dudes," Adebayo said. "Once you get him going, and he starts talking, it doesn’t stop, so I got great respect for that, man. He does all the little things that help you win that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet or until you watch the film. Sometimes you got to realize you’re going back and forth with a three-time champ.”
Golden State Warriors
RELATED: Warriors must find sense of urgency as playoff hopes dwindle
After their loss to the Heat, the Warriors now sit at 23-25 and in 10th place in the Western Conference.
With just 24 games remaining in the season, the Warriors will need even more from Green and a hobbled Steph Curry if they plan to secure a play-in tournament spot and try to make noise in the playoffs.