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PORTLAND, Ore. — Draymond Green loves to talk. To teammates. To coaches. To opponents. To himself. For seven seasons running, he has ranked among the league leaders in words per minute.
But in recent weeks, as the Golden State Warriors prepared for another crack at another N.B.A. championship, Green decided to do some listening. In particular, he said, he listened to his mother and to his fiancée, who advised him to keep his emotions in check, especially when it involved his interactions with referees.
“Sometimes I’m not mindful,” Green said, “and I’ll get a tech and that will just kill the energy of our team.