Amid that chatter, Houston forward Dillon Brooks --the Rockets' elbow-throwing answer to Green--told reporters, "I think the dirty player is Draymond, giving [Thompson] a little push. That's what regular basketball players do."

The 35-year-old forward joins an impressive group of past recipients that includes three-time winner Marcus Smart, Alex Caruso, Patrick Beverley, Thaddeus Young, Montrezl Harrell and Amir Johnson. It was only a matter of time before Green would receive the accolade, considering it is tailor-made for his skill set.

Even in the Golden State Warriors' 109-94 loss to the Houston Rockets in Game 2 of their Western Conference playoff series, Draymond Green is working to get under the skin of his opponents. Green and Fred VanVleet were jawing at each other near the Rockets bench midway through the fourth quarter,