GP2 plays hilarious ‘mind games’ with Poole in Warriors win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Gary Payton II knows that being a great defender goes beyond just the physical attributes required to compete with the NBA’s elite offensive players.
Sometimes you have to think outside the box, which is what Payton did by untying former Warriors teammate Jordan Poole’s shoelaces in the fourth quarter of Golden State’s 122-114 win over the Washington Wizards on Saturday at Chase Center.
After the Warriors’ win, Payton revealed that his hilarious prank was part of a larger conspiracy to play “mind games” with his former teammate.
“These are just mind games with JP. “It’s just mind games,” Payton said on “Warriors Postgame Live” after Saturday’s win. “Everything is fine. I knew he would do it, I knew he would tell the referee, so get him, take him away from the basketball for a quick second and harass him a little, but you know, it’s always, always a pleasure competing against him JP.”
It’s understandable that Payton is digging deep into his bag of tricks, as Poole scored a game-high 38 points on Saturday.
Despite Poole’s scoring outburst, Payton and the Warriors had the last laugh as Golden State began a decisive series of games with a win.
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