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Watch: Pierce admits to starting trash talk with Warriors' Green

NBA on ESPN/Twitter

The truth has set ... well, "The Truth" ... free.

Golden State Warriors All-Star Draymond Green was overheard roasting Los Angeles Clippers veteran Paul Pierce when the two teams squared off Thursday night at Oracle Arena, saying how the 39-year-old was "chasing that farewell tour," trying to be Kobe Bryant.

What wasn't caught during the telecast, though, was Pierce provoking him in the first place from the Clippers' bench, which led to Green's retaliatory comments.

"Blake Griffin posted him up, got a foul, and I was just pretty much like, 'you can't guard Blake,'" Pierce said during Saturday's NBA on ESPN telecast. "'He's going to give it to you all night. You're not that good. You're only good because you got Steph Curry, KD (Kevin Durant), and Klay Thompson around. That's the only reason you get recognition.'

"I'm trying to spark my team, with the trash talk. Go at their emotional leader, and get my guys some confidence."

Pierce graded Green's trash-talk game a three out of 10, mentioning how he's heard far worse from the likes of Gary Payton and former Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets teammate Kevin Garnett.

It wasn't until he took to social media following his team's 123-113 loss that he was made aware of what Green had said, which led to his tweet about how the Warriors blew a 3-1 lead in the 2016 NBA Finals, despite winning 73 regular-season games.

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