In game 2 of the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings playoff game, Warriors power forward Draymond Green was ejected after receiving a flagrant 2. He was given a flagrant 2 after stomping on Kings player Domantas Sabonis. The NBA then decided to suspend Green for one game without pay. Which means he will miss a crucial playoff game.
Why Draymond Green was ejected from Game 2
On Monday, April 17th, the Golden State Warriors faced off against the Sacramento Kings in a tense game 2 of the NBA playoffs. The game was in Sacramento, and the Kings held a 1-0 lead. In the fourth quarter, things took a turn. The Kings held a close lead when Domantas Sabonis got knocked to the ground after going for a rebound. Sabonis then grabbed Draymond Green's leg as Green tried to run down the court. Green tried to pull it free and, while doing so, stomped on Sabonis’s chest and rib area. Sabonis was assessed a technical foul, while Green was assessed a flagrant 2 and was ejected from the game. Of course, before Green left the court, he yelled at the crowd and ran around the floor, looking exactly how you would expect Draymond Green to look after being ejected.
Draymond Green is no stranger to flagrant fouls
Draymond Green has a history of being assessed flagrant fouls and playing what some would call a dirty style of play. Green is known to have done a lot of wild things throughout his basketball career. The NBA stated that part of the reason they decided to suspend him for one game without pay was due to his history of dirty plays. From kicking Steven Adams in the nuts to punching a teammate in the face at practice. Draymond Green has done it all.
Draymond Green kicks Steven Adams in the nuts twice
Draymond Green is known to flail his limbs a lot on plays, looking for foul calls. In 2016, during game 3 of a playoff game between the Golden State Warriors and the Oklahoma City Thunder, Draymond Green was going up for a shot when he flailed his legs and kicked Steven Adams directly in the nuts. It also happened to Steven Adams in game 2 of that same playoff series. Draymond was assessed a flagrant 1 and was ejected from the game. He was not suspended during the series but ended up being fined $25,000 by the NBA. If you watch the footage from that game, I think it is clear Green tried to kick his leg out into Adams.
Draymond Green's beef with Kevin Durant
On November 13th, 2018, then Warriors teammates Kevin Durant and Draymond Green got into an argument during a game against the Los Angeles Clippers. The argument occurred because of a misunderstanding between the two of them on the court. There was a heated exchange on the bench before going into overtime. After the loss, they got into another argument in the locker room. Green voiced his struggles playing with Durant earlier in the season to his coaches and said they did nothing about it. Green was suspended for one game by the Warriors. Green said they suspended him to protect Durant. I don’t think the Warriors should have suspended Green. Teammates argue all the time, and as long as it doesn’t become physical, I don’t think any teammates should be punished for voicing their frustrations and working it out as a team. Sports are heated, and teammates fight; it is part of the game.
Draymond Green punches Jordan Poole in the face
In October 2022, Green was suspended from the team without pay for getting into a physical altercation with another teammate. A video was secretly released from the altercation, and it showed Draymond Green punching teammate Jordan Poole in the face during practice. After the video went viral, Green apologized to Poole for what had happened. The video is wild to watch.
Did Draymond Green cost the Warriors a championship?
In 2016, the Warriors faced off against the Cavs in the NBA Finals. Draymond Green was suspended for Game 5 after racking up too many flagrant fouls. Before game 5, the Warriors were winning the series 3-1. Lebron James brought the Cavs back in that important game 5 and then went on to win the championship. Draymond Green has admitted on his podcast that he takes responsibility for losing the Warriors a championship that year. I respect Draymond for taking responsibility. It shows you that Green puts his heart into the game of basketball and is a very physical player. It must have hurt him not being able to play and watching the Cavs come back and win.
I don’t think Draymond Green should have been suspended for a game for stomping on Sabonis. I do understand the NBA taking his history of fouls and wild behavior into consideration. Green is a good NBA player and he means a lot to the warriors when he is on the floor. I guess we'll see if his suspension hurts the Warriors this year.
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