Draymond Green Shares Harsh Reality With Knicks

Draymond Green hinted that imitation may be the most sincere form of flattery — and the clearest path to a championship — for the New York Knicks.

On call at the studio desk for TNT Sports' coverage of the Knicks' Eastern Conference Finals clash with the Indiana Pacers at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, the longtime Golden State Warriors agitator was one of thousands of witnesses to an improbable comeback for the visitors.

Through a steady diet of Aaron Nesmith threes (tying an NBA playoff record with six in the final period), the Pacers erased a New York lead that sumitted at 17 and stood at 14 with less than three minutes remaining. The Pacers prevailed by a 138-135 final in overtime to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven set.

Green felt that Indiana's comeback embraced the realities and paths to success in the modern NBA and implied that the Knicks would be wise to follow the trends.

Mar 15, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) controls the basketball against Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) during the third quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images | Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

"That's the modern-day NBA though...that's the rate that guys can score in this league today," Green said (h/t Liam Willerup of Golden State Warriors on SI). "I know there's a lot of complaining about the three-point shooting, but that's what the three-point shooting brings to the game, and it was exciting to watch."

Green, of course, knows how success from deep can pave the path to a championship, having earned four rings alongside Stephen Curry, the NBA's all-time three-point king.

Throughout this season, the Knicks have been a solid antidote for the issues blamed for the NBA's supposedly sagging ratings. They attempted over 34 three-pointers a game this season to place 27th in the category and counter the narrative that the Association's elite is too reliant upon the triple. New York has shown that defense can still win major showings, such as their 91-90 triumph in Game 2 of the conference semifinals against the Boston Celtics.

Depressions from deep, however, partly played a role in their Wednesday demise: Karl-Anthony Towns found a bit of a groove (hitting four in Game 1 after sinking just three in the six-game prior set against Boston) but the rest of the team had just seven triples combined. Nesmith was 8-of-9 on his own throughout the game, which began with nine consecutive successful Pacer tries from the field.

The Knicks might not hear what Green has to say, especially in the wake of his one-sided, multi-episode clash with Towns staged last March. But if its championship chances slip away, they may come to regret not heeding Green's advice.

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