Barber: Draymond Green, and his mouth, all over the court in Warriors' win

OAKLAND - You never know where the inspiration is going to originate after the game tips off.

The Warriors had a built-in emotional boost Tuesday night at Oracle Arena. Stephen Curry, out since March 23 with a knee injury, made his return in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinal series. The crowd began to murmur when he stood up with about 5 minutes to go in the first quarter, and rose to a full-throated roar when the PA announcer formally introduced him at the 4:20 mark.

Curry provided a real spark, too. He should have been the sappy plotline to this 121-116 win against the New Orleans Pelicans. Maybe in Game 3. Because Game 2 belonged to Draymond Green.

It's hard to guess precisely what was going on in Green's mind Tuesday. He's a complicated man, and he derives motivation in places where most of us would never see it. Maybe Green was tired of questions about guarding Anthony Davis, the Pelicans' brilliant young big man. Maybe he was mildly annoyed at the idea that the Warriors' hopes revolved around Curry, considering they had played quite well in his absence. Maybe Green just had a toothache.

Whatever the roots, he played as if possessed against the Pelicans. In the first half, as the Warriors fought back from a nine-point deficit to take a 58-55 lead at halftime, Green was everywhere. He tipped rebounds out to teammates. He got his hands on balls in the passing lanes. And repeatedly, he charged down the lane for running jams.

These contributions were vital for the Warriors. But what really stood out was Green's fury.

With 6:44 on the clock in the second period, he got loose for a huge dunk and rewarded himself by screaming at Jrue Holiday, the New Orleans guard, as he headed down the court with the Oracle crowd frantic. At 2:08, Green got the ball on the run, laid it up past the Pelicans' Nikola Mirotic and got fouled by Mirotic for a plus-one. The two opponents wound up under the basket stanchion, face to face. As Mirotic stared down at Green, the Warrior tilted his face upward and flat-out roared in Mirotic's grille.

Green sneered at Anthony Davis after scoring on the Pelicans star, and he gave Darius Miller a frosty look when they bumped into each other after yet another Green jam. When the half ended, Green and Rajon Rondo, the Pelicans point guard, spent several seconds in animated debate, practically nose to nose, before they finally vacated the court.

“I just had to bring some force,” Green explained afterward. “We were playing soft. That second quarter, we needed to bring some intensity to the game. And that's my job. Had to bring some force and a competitive spirit to the game. After that, things took off for us.”

The world notices Green's demeanor, and reaction is perpetually mixed.

Late in the game, Chuck D, the creative force behind the legendary rap group Public Enemy, tweeted: “@Money23Green plays like he plays for the Philadelphia @warriors #OldSchool.”

But Charles Barkley, the Basketball Hall of Famer who now does studio work for TNT, and who is known in some circles as a Warrior basher, had a less admiring take. “I want someone to punch him in the face,” Barkley said of Green at halftime. “I do. I want someone to punch him in the face.”

“I think a lot of guys talk on TV,” Green replied. “He's seen me a million times. If he feels that strongly about it, punch me in the face when you see me.”

Is Green punchable or lovable? Is he a posturing hothead, or a hardworking overachiever? Could it be all of the above?

“I don't think he got under anyone's skin, if that's what you mean,” Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry, who used to be a Warriors assistant, said after the game. “He's a good player. He gets under your skin because he almost had a triple double.”

The funny thing is, I had asked Green about playing Rondo just that morning, after the Warriors' morning shootaround. And he clearly admires the crafty playmaker.

“He's one of the few guys I really respect in this league as far as IQ. Not many in the league think like Rondo,” Green had said. “You reading him, he's reading you at the same time. It's like a chess match. … Whatever I do, I try to be decisive. If you go halfway, that's when you get lost.”

Green didn't do anything halfway on Tuesday. He rarely does. And it's really not shocking that he saved his longest verbal essay for Rondo, who shares some of those same competitive traits. Draymond Green doesn't stare you down and loudly list your shortcomings because he hates you. He does it because when he plays basketball, he's a roiling keg of emotions. If he didn't vent, he may very well explode. And if the outlet is your mug, so be it.

“I do like to see it, as long as there's no technical foul involved,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.

Green did his usual Leatherman utility-tool thing and wound up with 20 points, nine rebounds and 12 assists in Game 2. He provided a little more scoring punch than usual, on a night when the Warriors really needed it due to Curry's limited minutes. The Pelicans crowded the 3-point line early, so Green honed in on the basket and scored on those rim-rattlers.

When they backed off, he took advantage. Green started the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer, just 16 seconds in. And 39 seconds after that, he popped another to give the Warriors a 94-86 lead. The crowd showered him with love, and Green raised his arms toward the roof to soak it in. He also hit a pair of big free throws with 28 seconds left, after the Pelicans had cut the score to 119-113.

“I thought those two threes he hit at the start of the fourth quarter were huge,” Kerr said. “But Draymond's been just phenomenal throughout the playoffs. I think he's been saving himself for the playoffs.”

To be clear, Curry was brilliant in his first game back, scoring 28 points in 27 minutes. And his return was monumental for the Warriors. This postseason promises to be tougher than last year's, and they will need their most important player on the court.

But Green's presence is just as vital. It's hard to imagine the Warriors claiming their third championship in four years without Draymond shouting, flexing, pulling down rebounds and bugging the crap out of everyone wearing the other uniform.