Warriors forward Draymond Green was ejected from Sunday’s Game 1 against the Memphis Grizzlies after a flagrant 2 foul against forward Brandon Clarke.
Green tugged on Clarke’s jersey when he was going up for a shot close to the bucket and Clarke went down to the floor hard. Once the referee crew reviewed the play, it was ruled a flagrant 2, which meant an automatic ejection for Draymond.
Green waved his hands and egged on the crowd before getting ejected and running toward the locker room. The referees ruled that Green’s contact to Clarke’s face, tugging of jersey and “throwdown to the ground” fit the criteria for a flagrant 2. The foul occurred with 1:18 left in the first half.
The Warriors went on to win 117-116, which was a huge literal and mental victory for the Dubs.
"We knew that was a tough break," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said after the game. "It didn't go our way. We were all kind of shocked by the decision."
Winning one on the road without Draymond for the second half is a big accomplishment. Not only does Green anchor the defense from the paint but he facilitates the offense. He's something of a point center.
"Nobody wants to see that, it's not good for the game," Steph Curry said. "I didn't think he deserved, that obviously. We got a little emotional rise out of it and tried to stay locked in and deal with the circumstances."
After the game, Green was spotted in the tunnel and he was fired up while greeting teammates.
Green had six points, four rebounds, three assists, three steals and a block before his ejection. He also had some ugly passes that led to five turnovers.
Clarke didn't take kindly to the play after watching a replay, telling reporters, "It’s not shocking that he did that. It’s something he’s done in the past.”
Memphis carried a 61-55 lead into the locker room at intermission. The refs were quick with the whistles, as there were 26 combined fouls by halftime. Klay Thompson, Jordan Poole, Gary Payton II, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Dillon Brooks each had three fouls at the break.
Draymond is no stranger to missing big moments in the playoffs. He had to sit out Game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals after get suspended due to technical fouls.
The call caused an uproar on social media, as many didn’t feel like the foul warranted a flagrant 2 designation. Whether Green speaks to reporters after the game or drops a new podcast, we’re sure to hear his side of the story at some point in the near future.
