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Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green was suspended for one game for stomping on Sacramento Kings' Domantas Sabonis on Monday night in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series, and NBA Executive VP Joe Dumars explained why on Wednesday.
“Here’s what it came down to: Excessive and over-the-top actions, conduct detrimental and a repeat offender. That’s what separates this where you end up with a suspension,” Dumars said, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Dumars told ESPN that the NBA had to weigh the circumstances of the Warriors being down 2-0 to the Kings in the series, but that didn't affect the ruling.
“You know what the situation is, but you have to set that aside and look at the facts in front of you…Repeat offender weighs as heavy as anything.”
Green was ejected for a flagrant foul against Sabonis with 7:03 to play in the fourth quarter. The Kings ultimately defeated the Warriors 114-106 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
“My leg got grabbed,” Green said in defense of the play after the game. “Second time in two nights. Referees just watch it. I’ve got to land my foot somewhere. I’m not the most flexible person, so it’s not stretching that far. I can only step so far.”
It looks like the NBA wasn't buying that explanation, and the Warriors will now have to play Game 3 without one of their most important players.
The series now shifts less than 90 miles southwest to San Francisco, and marks the first time in the Steph Curry and Klay Thompson era that a team has taken a 2-0 series lead over Golden State.
If the Warriors can't get the job done at home in Game 3 without Draymond Green, they'll be on the brink of their first playoff series loss to a Western Conference team since falling to the LA Clippers in 2014.
