Warriors star Draymond Green was ejected late in Game 2 of Monday night’s first-round game after stomping on Kings forward Domantas Sabonis.
Sabonis and Green were tangled up behind a fast break, and Sabonis grabbed Green’s leg, leading to the Golden State forward stomping down in an attempt to break loose from Sabonis’s grip.
Sabonis was issued a technical foul, while Green was issued a flagrant 2 foul and ejected from the contest. He was then suspended by the league for Game 3.
While many believed Green’s suspension was a harsh punishment, league executive vice president Joe Dumars saw it differently.
“Here’s what it came down to,” Dumars told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. “Excessive over the top actions, conduct detrimental and a repeat offender. That’s what separates this where you end up with a suspension.”
Wojnarowski followed up with Dumars regarding the impact of the suspension on the Warriors given that the team trails the series 2–0 and now will be playing without a core member. Dumars once again defended the league’s decision.
“You know what the situation is, but you have to set that aside and look at the facts in front of you,” he said. “Repeat offender weighs as heavy as anything.”
As Dumars mentioned, Green is no stranger to playoff suspensions. He was banned from Game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals for accruing too many playoff technical fouls. The suspension of Green, who was playing great basketball at that point in the series, ended up playing a pivotal role in Cleveland getting back into the series and ultimately capturing the NBA title.
The Warriors are hoping that Green’s suspension for Game 3 doesn’t have a similar impact this time around. Golden State is in unfamiliar territory down 2–0 heading back home, and will now play without one of its key pieces as it looks to get back into the series and defend its NBA title.
