Draymond Green had a bizarre reason for punching James Harden's injured wrist
OAKLAND, Calif. — Draymond Green long ago lost the benefit of the doubt when it comes to plays that could be considered "dirty." A few hits to the groin will do that for you.
So when the Warriors forward appeared to punch James Harden on the Rockets guard's injured wrist Friday night in the Warriors' win over Houston, it was initially presumed that Green had done it on purpose.
Guess what: he totally did.
Green had an excuse, though — he said Harden pinched him.
"He pinched me, so I punched his wrist," Green said in his postgame press conference. "That's pretty much it."
"He does it often, actually, which is kind of adolescent, but whatever."
https://twitter.com/SamHustis/status/848055653939544064
On the bootleg video of the Rockets broadcast, which showed the Green punch, you can see Harden pinch Green's midsection before the punch. Green was hit with an offensive foul on the play.
Green says that Harden is the only player in the league who employs the pinching tactic.
"Guys aren't going around pinching people," Green said.
Harden didn't know Green had announced the pinch when he met with the media following the game. He didn't discuss the incident much, saying only that his wrist would be "alright" and "I thought it was a closed-fist hit. I don't know. I don't know what he saw."
Perhaps it would have been better to ask what he felt ...
Yes, all of this is real. What's next, tickles?
