National Basketball Association

Z-Bo to Green: 'I ain't going to hurt your MVP point guard, so don't hurt mine'

Published May. 13, 2015 5:35 p.m. ET

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Zach Randolph and Draymond Green know each other well. They're friendly off the court, going back to their connection as graduates of Tom Izzo's illustrious Michigan State Spartan basketball program.

Now, they're facing off as combatants in a huge Western Conference semifinals match-up between the Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors. Both guys are super competitive, physical and talk a lot of trash.

But not all of it is unleashed with venom. During Memphis' shocking Game 2 win in Oakland, Green was caught tapping Mike Conley's injured face while going for the ball. It had the aura of a dirty play, but as Green told ESPN's Michael Wallace, even in the heat of battle, Z-Bo could only joke about the whole thing:

“Their whole team hopped up off the bench when the whole thing happened, like I did it on purpose," Green said. "Zach is obviously who I’m close to on that team, and I’m not going to talk to anybody else because I don’t know them. He was honestly joking, like ‘I ain’t going to hurt your MVP point guard, so don’t hurt mine.’ At the end of the day we’re playing a game and things happen. But there’s respect.”

Respect indeed. Both these guys are cut from the same cloth with similar (though not identical) skill-sets and attitudes toward the game. This is an awesome story, and every team in the league would love to have either guy fighting on their behalf.

(h/t: ESPN)

Photo Credit: Kyle Terada/USA TODAY Sports