The league on Monday upgraded the flagrant foul called on Green for kicking Oklahoma City’s Steven Adams in the groin to a Flagrant Foul 2. Green was fined $25,000 by the National Basketball Association on Monday and the foul was upgraded to a flagrant 2, but he was not suspended and will be in uniform when the defending champion Warriors try to even the series at 2-2.
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“The way I look it”, Thunder guard Russell Westbrook said, “it looks intentional to me”.
Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green (23) warms-up before practice the day before Game 4 of the NBA Western Conference finals at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Okla., on Monday, May 23, 2016.
If the Warriors are going to survive this series, they need the red line below (a running average of Green’s five most recent games) to start trending back in the positive direction. But I know what type of competitor he is and I think I know how he would react. I knew the league was going to let him play or fine him or I think upgrade him to a Flagrant 2.
I got a text from Kobe, and he said, ‘If making history was easy, why bother?’ That’s 100 percent right.
Earlier this year, the Golden State Warriors subtly opened up about the possibility of signing Kevin Durant to play alongside Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green – a team dubbed as a potential supergroup ala Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and LeBron James.
While the Warriors have to deal the rampaging Thunder with ideal preparation to tie the series, the biggest problem at this moment would be Draymond Green’s status in Game 4.
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By anything resembling an objective standard-and that’s certainly tough to pin down-if the National Basketball Association suspended Dahntay Jones for one game for attacking Bismack Biyombo’s crotch, Draymond Green’s multiple assaults on Steven Adams’s fellas deserved the same punishment. I know Rick Mahorn. Curry is their spiritual leader, but Green is the player who will scream in the locker room and physically challenge anyone on the court. Somebody wants to have kids someday. In the midst of the play, Green is fouled, and in the process of trying to sell the call, he flails and kicks Adams in the groin area. Normally one of the leagues best defenders, he was beaten numerous times individually by the Thunder, and the Warriors were outscored by 43 points with him on the floor. “I’m looking forward to it”. Golden State dodged disaster when the league didn’t suspend him. I would think they would rescind it. Just like you can’t dwell on a 30-point win.
