Kurtenbach: Draymond Green deserved his ejection, but a Game 3
suspension would be overkill
Golden State Warriors: Draymond Green's flagrant-foul earning step on
Domantas Sabonis in Game 2 shouldn't affect Game 3
>SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 17: Draymond Green #23 of the Golden
State Warriors steps over Domantas Sabonis #10 of the Sacramento Kings
in the second half during Game Two of the Western Conference First Round
Playoffs at Golden 1 Center on April 17, 2023 in Sacramento, California.
Green was issued a flagrant foul 2 on the play, and ejected from the
game. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by
downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the
terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by
Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
By DIETER KURTENBACH | dkurtenbach@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News
Group
PUBLISHED: April 18, 2023 at 12:36 p.m. | UPDATED: April 19, 2023 at
4:29 a.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2023/04/18/kurtenbach-draymond-green-deserved-his-ejection-but-a-game-3-suspension-would-be-overkill/

Draymond Green is adamant that there was nowhere else for his foot to go.

To hear him detail the situation, Green had to stomp on Domantas
Sabonis’ chest after the Kings’ center gave the Warrior’s legs a bear hug.

I don’t know about that, but I do know that it would be overkill if the
league suspended Green for Thursday’s Game 3 for that incident.

What Sabonis did was dirty. You can’t go full Jeff Van Gundy and wrap
yourself around your opponent’s legs.

[video: Draymond ejected after stepping on Sabonis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koHXg0PlYq8]

What Green did was unnecessary. Sorry, but there were more options than
“stamp on opponent’s chest” or “stand there.” So, yes, you can call it
dirty, too.

Both players probably deserved to be thrown out of Monday’s game, but —
as any hockey fan would tell you — the retaliation is always treated
worse than the initial infraction. That’s especially true if the
retaliating party is No. 23 on Golden State.

But given that Green has plausible (though unconvincing) deniability, it
would be out of bounds for the league to extend the Warriors forward’s
punishment into Thursday’s game.

He served his time — the final seven minutes of a critical playoff game.
Green was in the locker room when the Warriors’ season felt on the brink.

With the way Green has played in this series, a suspension for Game 3
might not be a death sentence for the Dubs. That said, it’s not a clear
case of addition by subtraction, either.

Better not to mess around with it.

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Of course, Kings fans want blood. They’re new to this whole playoffs
thing and don’t quite yet understand that the level of physicality
increases when you’re playing in the second half of April.

Warriors fans want to pretend everything about the play was normal, and
Green is a victim of an unfair reputation.

Let both sides yap until Thursday.

Just make sure Green is in that game.

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Looking at this objectively, what Green did Monday fails to rate with
other suspension-worthy playoff actions.

It wasn’t what Dillon Brooks did to Gary Payton II in last year’s
playoffs. It wasn’t even what Green did in the 2016 NBA Finals — a punch
to the nether regions is way worse than using Sabonis as a step stool.

Plus, the Kings’ big man really milked it after Green stepped on him.
Even Jordan Poole thinks No. 10 needs to tone down the acting a bit.
Don’t reward that.

The joy of the playoffs is that it’s basketball at its highest level.
Whatever that was on Monday marred an otherwise brilliant game by the Kings.

The NBA should drop this issue and shift the focus back to the game.
Objectively speaking, they’ve been pretty awesome.

Questions, comments, or criticisms that demand answers?

Email Dieter. You could be featured in his next mailbag.

--
Dieter Kurtenbach | Sports Columnist
Sports columnist Dieter Kurtenbach analyzes the amazing and roasts the
absurd in the world of sports for the Bay Area News Group. He was
previously a national sports columnist for Fox Sports and a staff writer
at the South Florida Sun Sentinel. He can also be heard on KNBR
(104.5-FM, 680-AM). He graduated from the University of Missouri in
Columbia, Mo., with a BA degree in journalism.