Draymond Green looked at Karl-Anthony Towns and saw an opportunity. A chance to get inside his head, to make him second-guess himself, to do what Green does best, disrupt. “Some would say he didn’t play because Jimmy was in the building. I don’t know,” Green claimed. Fans widely criticized Green’s comment.
Fast forward to their latest game, and it was a battle. The Warriors edged out the Knicks 97-94, with Curry dropping 28 points. KAT tried his best to fight back, scoring 29 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. His comeback, however, was not enough. Meanwhile, Golden State secured its seventh win in a row. Additionally, Steve Kerr earned his 558th career victory. This milestone makes him the franchise’s most accomplished coach ever. It was a great day for the Warriors and a bad one for the Knicks.
But here’s where things got weird. After the game, Green went around shaking hands with Knicks players and coaches. Eddie A. Johnson didn’t hold back. “Shake hands with a guy that called your teammate out and was wrong, especially when he stayed on court to initiate the contact and dared you to ignore him.” He called it “The New NBA.” Johnson’s statements stand firm with the rivalry aspect of the sport. And while proponents of the same agree with him, things don’t always have to be this way.
While Johnson criticized the lack of resistance, others argue that post-game sportsmanship has always coexisted with rivalries, pointing to examples like Magic Johnson and Larry Bird shaking hands despite their fierce battles
“Go sit on the bench”
Draymond Green to Karl Anthony Towns after Towns committed his 3rd foul, this time on Green.
@sluggahjells pic.twitter.com/9xD6HzQ2XK
— The Whole Delivery (@TWDTV1) March 16, 2025
Moreover, he even wrote, “I credit Draymond in that he confronts the possible situation and dared the Knick players to ignore him!” Then there was the moment during the game. After KAT committed his third foul—on Green, no less. Taking the chance, Draymond hit him with a “Go sit on the bench.” This loss must have disappointed KAT a lot as he left quickly after the match. Meanwhile, Green embraced Mikal Bridges and PJ Tucker like old friends. The whole situation had Johnson shaking his head.
So, what’s the takeaway here? In the NBA, rivalries run deep, but respect matters. Green knew exactly what he was doing, forcing the Knicks into an awkward position. But did they let him off too easy?
When did NBA rivalries turn into post-game handshakes?
Back in the day, things were different. When a player disrespected your teammate, you didn’t just let it slide—you let them know. Handshakes weren’t automatic; they had to be earned. That’s why Eddie A. Johnson was so frustrated with the Knicks after their loss to the Warriors.
Take the 1998 Eastern Conference Finals. Knicks vs. Heat. That rivalry was pure fire. After a brutal game, tensions were too high for a simple handshake. Some Knicks players weren’t about to acknowledge the Heat, not after everything that had been said on and off the court.
The Heat’s Alonzo Mourning and Knicks’ Larry Johnson had long-standing beef, with Mourning questioning New York’s toughness. When the Heat won, some Knicks players weren’t about to shake hands with a team that had spent the series belittling them.
Or how about the 2004 Pacers-Pistons series? That wasn’t just basketball? With just 45.9 seconds remaining in the game, a hard foul by Ron Artest on Ben Wallace escalated into a massive brawl involving players and fans, an event now known as the “Malice at the Palace.”.
Rasheed Wallace and Ron Artest exchanged heated words all series long, questioning each other’s heart and calling out “soft” play. When the series ended, some players weren’t about to fake respect.
Basketball is built on competition, but rivalries meant something more in the past. Would the Knicks of the 90s have let Green’s comments slide? Would a prime Charles Oakley have casually shaken hands after a teammate was publicly disrespected? Probably not.
This moment symbolizes how the NBA may have lost that edge, and maybe that’s for the better? What do you think?
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