Antagonist Draymond Green takes credit for Karl Anthony-Towns' hot start to playoff series

The New York Knicks hung on to beat the Detroit Pistons in Game 1 on Saturday. They got hot down the stretch with a 21-0 run in the fourth quarter.

Karl-Anthony Towns was aggressive right out of the gate, and he finished with 23 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. He got Jalen Duren into foul trouble, and he didn't struggle with the Pistons' physicality on either side of the court.

Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green, who's been overly-critical of Towns' attitude in the past, tipped his hat to him. However, he didn't stop there, as he took credit for his toughness.

“I thought his defense was grade, but aside from his defense, his attitude was great and I’m taking credit for that," Green said Monday, via 'The Draymond Green Show.' "Karl-Anthony Towns has been a different person since our debacle.”

In March, Green questioned Towns' toughness and claimed that he backed down from playing the Warriors because of his relationship with Jimmy Butler.

It was later reported that Towns missed the game because he was mourning the death of a family member, and Green changed the tone of his accusations. He now believes Towns toughened up because of his comments.

Karl-Anthony Towns didn't attempt a shot in the fourth quarter of Game 2

As good as Karl-Anthony Towns was in the series opener, he didn't bring the same intensity in Game 2, finishing with just 10 points and six rebounds. He didn't attempt a single field goal in the fourth quarter despite playing all 12 minutes. When asked about it, he claimed that he was following the flow of the game and what the team needed from him.

“Just trying to have the game do what it does, just executing what we talked about,” Towns said to reporters after the game. “I thought we got some great shots, some great looks, you live with those kinds of great shots and great looks, especially when you’ve fought back in the game.”

Tom Thibodeau said that Towns made the right play over and over by finding the open teammate instead of forcing shots when he was double-teamed. However, Towns didn't record a single assist in the game.

The Pistons have stolen homecourt advantage with their first playoff win in 17 years, and Towns will have to step up to help his team get it back in Game 3.