Not many people were surprised when the NBA announced it was not going to suspend Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green for kicking Oklahoma City Thunder forward Steven Adams in the groin on Sunday.
Add Kevin Durant to that list.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, the Thunder star said, “we all knew that was going to happen” and he “didn't even think about” the possibility of Green being forced to sit out Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals.
Here's the full transcript of what he had to say, via ESPN's Royce Young:
“I didn't even think it was something we should be talking about. They're not going to suspend Draymond Green. He's one of the premier players in the league on arguably one of the best teams in the history of the game. They're not going to suspend him. I didn't even think about it. I knew the league was going to let him play or fine him or upgrade him to a flagrant two. We all knew that was going to happen. The league is pro-business.”
Green did get upgraded to a flagrant two and was fined $25,000 for the incident, which you can see here. Since he already had a flagrant-one foul, if he picks up another, he won't be able to escape suspension, per NBA rules.
Although he struggled in Golden State's Game 3 loss, it would've been a crushing blow for the Warriors to lose Green even for a game. He has been everywhere in the playoffs, averaging 16.6 points, 9.3 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 2.1 blocks and 1.5 steals per game.
The Thunder currently lead the defending-champion Warriors 2-1 in the series, with Game 4 set for Tuesday in Oklahoma City.
[button width=”full” button size=”bigger” color=”custom” align=”center” textcolor=”#ffffff” texthcolor=”#ffffff” bgcolor=”#8b0000″ link=”https://clutchpoints.com/russell-westbrook-draymond-green-banter-westbrook-says-green-purposefully-kicked-steven-adams/”]NEXT: Russell Westbrook, Draymond Green trade verbal blows after kicking incident with Steven Adams[/button]
Follow Us
Subscribe