The NBA league office has rescinded the technical fouls issued to Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green and Houston Rockets center Nene in Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst.
Both players were hit with a double-technical by official Ed Malloy in the dying seconds of the third quarter. The punishment was viewed as harsh immediately, and the expectation that the fouls would be rescinded was clear from the onset.
Green and Nene had a spirited back-and-forth as they wrestled for possession late in the quarter, but even as Green walked away from the altercation, Malloy would have none of it, quickly T'ing up both players in the exchange:
https://twitter.com/WorldWideWob/status/1123442763423522816
If this looks familiar, it is because Malloy has a habit of policing the game with double-technicals, and has throughout the last few years.
It only takes looking back to Game 1 of the Warriors’ first-round series against the LA Clippers, where Malloy hit Kevin Durant and Patrick Beverley with double-techs, despite having only a friendly back-and-forth after some competitive play:
https://twitter.com/TheRenderNBA/status/1117255852740829184
In a way, Malloy has made this his signature move, choosing to police the game by quickly sanctioning both players instead of getting to the root of the problem. These actions have often irked players and have been a point of contention in their relationship with game officials.
This was Nene's only technical foul of the postseason, which has now been wiped out.
Green remains at three technical fouls and is four away from a suspension, according to NBA playoff rules. Reaching his seventh technical would result in his unpaid absence from the game to follow.
Follow Us
Subscribe