To say that Draymond Green’s reputation precedes him could be a bit of an understatement. The Golden State Warriors star can’t say anything without getting T’d up, and his latest incident vs. the Sacramento Kings won’t do a lot to help his case.
He’s been caught in the wrong end of some dirty plays throughout the course of his career, so he doesn’t get the benefit of the doubt anymore, at least by the referees. Also, he’s not much of a fan favorite among rival fan bases.
That’s why so many weren’t surprised to see him stomping on Domantas Sabonis’chest during the Warriors’ Game 2 loss to the Kings. However, he claims it was unintentional and explained just how things went down.
Draymond Green Explains His Incident With Domantas Sabonis
“My leg got grabbed. Second time in two nights. Referees just watch it,” Green said.“I gotta land my foot somewhere and I am not the most flexible person, so I can’t stretch it that far; I can only step so far with him pulling my leg away, it is what it is. The explanation was that I stomped too hard; I wasn’t surprised that he stayed down.”
Truth be told, Sabonis did grab Green’s leg, and it was obviously intentional, but Green’s stomp was also. If anything, they should’ve both been ejected, as Sabonis’ actions were also quite dangerous, he just wound up getting the worst of it.
Steve Kerr Claims He Didn’t See Anything
Notably, Warriors coach Steve Kerr claims he didn’t even look at the play. If anything, an assistant told him Green would be ejected, so all he was thinking about was getting ready for the remainder of the game.
“I didn’t see the play live, and then I didn’t see the replay,” Kerr said postgame. “I asked Zach Zarba what happened, and he told me. I was busy with getting the team ready. One of the coaches told me that he might get ejected, and so, I was trying to prepare for what was next.”
Now the Warriors are down 0-2 in a playoff series for the first time in Stephen Curry’s career. They’ve been tested before, and they’ve responded, but this is unchartered territory for the reigning champions.
