Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams is determined not to fall for Tim Duncan's 'nice guy' attitude when they play the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA playoffs.
Adams told media ahead of their Western Conference semifinal that he was once tricked into toning down his physical, bustling play against Duncan.
Adams jokingly said he was fooled by the veteran's moves when he first came into the NBA as a rookie.
"He's not really crazy athletic, but he still, like, destroys you," Adams said on matching up against Duncan.
"And he's a nice guy. That was my biggest mistake as a rookie.
"I was hitting him all the time and he was having trouble with it. And then he came over and talked to me a bit. He was like, 'Hey man. How are you?' and I was like, 'Oh what a nice guy'. Then he dropped 20 from there on.
"I told [assistant coach Mark Bryant] and he was like, 'That's a vet move. Don't do that.' You can't be nice."
Adams said his plan is to ignore Duncan's persona on the court and give him the silent treatment.
"I don't talk to him. He tries to talk to me, I'm stone-faced, looking at something else just trying to ignore him. That's my game plan."
The Thunder and Spurs best-of-seven game series on Sunday afternoon (NZT).
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