A suspended Draymond Green was forced to watch from home as the Warriors cruised to a 114-97 win over the Kings on Thursday night at Chase Center.
A day after the Warriors’ crucial victory that cut their NBA playoff series deficit in the first round to 2-1, Green took to his podcast to share his thoughts on his one-game suspension for stomping on the chest of the Kings Domantas Sabonis center midway through the fourth quarter of Game 2 on Monday.
“I didn’t know you could get suspended for a Flagrant 2 that happened seven years ago,” Green said on “The Draymond Green Show,” which was released Friday. “And I also didn’t know that you could get suspended for interacting with a crowd that was flipping double birds at you and shouting your name and chanting that you sucked, and like, you interacted with them. I didn’t know that either. more.
“In saying that, my guys played well. My guys played really well. They rose to the challenge and it was absolutely amazing to watch. I hope everyone enjoyed the game the way I.. I can’t say I really enjoyed the game, quite frankly.”
Green and Sabonis got tangled with just over seven minutes left in Game 2, and after the stomping incident, Green engaged with the crowd at the Golden 1 Center as the referees reviewed the play.
Green was eventually ejected from the match while Sabonis received a technical foul for catching Green’s leg before the stomp.
Although there were rumors that Green would avoid further discipline, the NBA issued a one-game suspension, citing his history of unsportsmanlike acts.
This is the second time Green has been suspended for an NBA playoff game, following his infamous Game 5 suspension of the NBA Finals in 2016 for hitting then-Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James in Game 4. .
“By the way, being suspended from a game, like at this point in my career, will never affect me emotionally, apart from my guys was in a dogfight, or is in a dogfight, and just can’t participate in this dogfight, it’s overwhelming,” Green said. “Because you feel like you’re leaving them alone, leaving them bewildered, just to figure it out. So not being in this dogfight, that’s what bothers me the most.
“To be suspended from Game 5 of the NBA Finals, there’s never another NBA game that you can suspend me from that’s going to be like, ‘Oh my god, I’m suspended. “But not being able to participate in aerial combat with my brothers is worse.”
Without Green and Gary Payton II, who missed Game 3 due to illness, the Warriors bounced back with a 17-point win. Steph Curry led the way with 36 points, while Kevon Looney grabbed 20 rebounds and provided nine assists.
Green knows exactly how important the Warriors’ Game 3 win was to their chances of advancing.
“I’m very grateful for the effort the guys put in yesterday to save our season,” Green said. “You never want to go down 3-0. The odds are good against you, stacked against you. Crazy if you go down 3-0. And the guys took care of that.”
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The four-time NBA All-Star will be back in the lineup for Game 4 on Sunday at Chase Center, trying to help the Warriors even the best of seven game series before returning to Sacramento for Game 5 on Wednesday night.
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