by By: Talaya Law
The Golden State Warriors have once again made it to the playoffs for the eighth time in the past ten seasons. The Warriors’ 6’6″ Forward, Draymond Green, is best known for his versatile defensive skills and his short temper on the court. Green’s recent on-court antics have created a buzz across social media due to his controversial actions in game two of the Warriors’ playoff series against the Sacramento Kings.
During the fourth quarter, Kings player Domantas Sabonis slipped and grabbed onto Green’s leg. Green then tried to release his leg from the entanglement with Sabonis but instead took a step right onto Sabonis’ chest. After the play was reviewed Green was given a Flagrant Foul 2, which led to his immediate ejection.
In typical Draymond Green fashion, he didn’t leave the arena without riling up the Kings’ home crowd first. It wasn’t beneficial for Green that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was in attendance either. The next morning, it was announced that Draymond would be suspended for game three of the series. For fans who know Green, this suspension isn’t anything surprising.
A major reason for this decision was due to Green’s prior history of violence throughout his career. Green has been ejected 17 times throughout his career and been suspended four different times. His reputation for intentional injuries has come back to bite the Warriors, costing them one of their key defensive players. From hitting other NBA players in the groin to punching his teammate, Green has made some poor choices.
Fans from both sides immediately took to Twitter to weigh in on the decision made by the NBA front office. Due to Green’s shady past, many NBA fans believed that his actions were intentional. His repeat offenses have annoyed opposing team fans, who view his behavior as “playing dirty”. Some Warriors fans are also annoyed with the fact that his temper is hurting the team’s championship opportunity.
However, there were many NBA players and fans that came to Green’s defense. Portland Trail Blazers Guard Damian Lillard tweeted,“A suspension is crazy.” Like Lillard, others thought it was clear that Green had no other choice but to step on Sabonis’ chest due to his leg being grabbed.
Green plays a major role in the Warriors’ defensive scheme and his suspension will have an impact on how game three turns out. Green will be back on the court in game four of the series to try to help the Warriors advance through the playoffs.
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I think his prior history with violence definitely played a major factor resulting in his suspension. As a Warriors fan, his antics really piss me off because like you said, they have proven costly in our opportunities to win games. I bet social media would have really blown up if he did not have any violent, prior history.