Los Angeles Lakers' guard Danny Green said both he and his fiancée received death threats on social media following game 5 of the NBA Finals, where he missed a potential game-winner.
The three-point field goal Green took with about 10 seconds left would have put the Lakers in a great position to win both the game and the series, which would have won them championship number 17, tied for the most in NBA history alongside the Boston Celtics.
However, the shot did not fall and the Heat extended the series to a game 6, which will be played Sunday. Laker fans are blaming Green for the loss. They have highlighted his struggles throughout the playoffs.
Green's fiancée Blair Bashen posted the social media threats. This caused Green to reach out with concern.
"I had to ask, 'Are you getting death threats?' And she said, 'Yeah, you are too,' and I was like, I don't know, because I do not really pay attention or care," Green said after Sunday's shootaround ahead of Game 6. "Nor am I upset, shaken or worried about it. I am just not one of those types of people. I probably should be a little more paranoid or safe about things."
Green, who signed a $30 million deal to join the Lakers before the season, has been criticized throughout his tenure with the team. However, Green has not been phased by the external noise.
"I have been conditioned to everything that I've gotten throughout the whole year and throughout most of the bubble season on social media, it was nothing new to me so it didn't really matter," he said. "It did not faze me. I Did not care. I Just ignore it. Those people's opinions do not matter to me. The only people in that locker room and on this roster are the opinions that are relevant and that matter to me. And if they're still confident in me and still encouraged and still believe in me and believe in us, that is all that matters to me: that we can get this thing done."
Comments