Subscribe
Follow Us
Draymond Green has never been one to hide his emotions. His arrogant indifference has gotten the 32-year-old to where he is now—a four-time NBA champion and a four-time All Star. He is the firecracker that lights a spark under the Golden State Warriors, the raucous leader that makes you want to charge recklessly into battle with no misgivings, the type of player any coach would welcome on their squad—but sometimes, he is the Dubs' downfall.
Earlier this month, Draymond sent a shockwave through the franchise when a run-of-the-mill practice altercation turned into a seething Draymond with a fist of fire and a scrunched-up Jordan Poole on the practice wall pads. Winning cures everything, and the preseason Warriors looked like they hadn't missed a beat, but who knows what's really going on in that locker room? Anything short of another deep playoff run and we could look back to that exact practice as this group's undoing.
Unfortunately, this would not be the first time the Warriors have suffered at the hands of Draymond Green.
Here are the four times that Green went too far that it hurt Warriors, listed in no particular order.
4. Draymond Green gets suspended in 2016 Championship
The infamous suspension, a quick swing to LeBron James's jewels that Draymond will probably regret for eternity. The Warriors had reached the apex, fresh off a 73-9 season, about go up 3-1 against a familiar and heavily disliked foe in LeBron, heading back to a buzzing Oracle Arena crowd to cap off the greatest team accomplishment in NBA History.
But in that one, solitary moment, up 10 points with three minutes remaining in Game 4, Draymond lost himself. His pride overtook his sensibility, and his fiery stature, one of his best traits, became one of his worst in a matter of seconds. Of course LeBron was going to try and rile Draymond up, staring down a 3-1 hole against the greatest team of all time. All Draymond had to do was keep a calm head.
Instead, Draymond spent Game 5 watching the Oakland A's in the Oakland Coliseum, while LeBron James and Kyrie Irving put on a show for the Oracle Crowd, prompting the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history.
And the 73-9 season, Stephen Curry's unanimous MVP, Draymond's All-NBA selection, all seemingly devalued at the snap of the fingers — or swing to the groin, if you will.
3. Dray's Flagrant galore
Draymond was not suspended in the 2016 Finals solely for that hit on LeBron in Game 4. Remember that season where it felt like Draymond couldn't stop kicking people in the groin? Green felt the NBA's wrath for those hits, eventually accumulating enough flagrant fouls over the course of the playoffs to be suspended for the biggest Finals game of his career.
Perhaps the most egregious and unnecessary flagrant came during Game 3 in the Western Conference Semifinals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, when Draymond got deep in the paint and flailed his leg in hopes of selling the contact for free throws. While it may not have been intentional, Draymond was awarded a flagrant as Steven Adams crumpled to the floor.
Article Continues Below
While Draymond did get hit with a flagrant, it looked like Adams got the worst of it.
2. Ejection vs. Charlotte Hornets
In a February 2021 game in Buzz City, emotions once again got the best of Draymond down the stretch. Up two, the four-time All Star erupted after the Charlotte Hornets were awarded a timeout during a loose ball.
Draymond went berserk, eventually getting thrown out of the game, forced to look on from the locker room as the Hornets were awarded two free throws to tie up the game due to the ejection. Terry Rozier went on to hit a game-winning buzzer beater to send the Warriors back to the Bay Area with a loss.
1. Kevin Durant vs. Draymond Green
The altercation with Jordan Poole was not the first time Draymond has voiced his displeasure with a teammate. During a November game in 2018, Draymond rebounded a missed shot with five seconds on the clock in a tie game, ignoring a roaring plea for the ball from Kevin Durant. The outspoken forward dribbled the ball off his foot to send the game to overtime, and Durant let him hear about it as the two reached the bench.
Reports said Draymond was infuriated by Durant's annoyance, remarking that the team had won a chip before Durant joined. He also allegedly accused the former MVP of making the season all about his impending free agency.
Durant departed from Golden State after that season, and while the two claim this argument had nothing to do with Durant's decision, it's clear Durant felt like he wanted to prove he could win without an overpowered Warriors team, as well as without an arrogant Draymond.
