The NBA was hard on Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green on Tuesday night, suspending the four-time NBA champion for Game 3 of the playoff series against the Sacramento Kings.
Green was suspended after being ejected from Monday night’s game with 7:03 remaining in the fourth quarter after stomping on Green’s chest. All Star Kings Domantas Sabonis.
Draymond Green, #23 of the Golden State Warriors, moves the ball during Game 2 of Round 1 of the 2023 NBA Playoffs on April 17, 2023 at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. (Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)
In announcing the suspension, the NBA said Green’s «record of unsportsmanlike conduct» influenced the decision.
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ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith he discussed the suspension, and he was not happy about it.
«I’m upset with the NBA this morning,» Smith said Wednesday. «I’m sick and tired of everyone acting like this is just another game. It’s not just another game. It’s a playoff game. You have to do something much more flagrant than this to get suspended.»
After reviewing Green’s history of playoff unsportsmanlike actsSmith noted that Sabonis played a role in the altercation.
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Draymond Green, #23 of the Golden State Warriors, reacts to a call during the third quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Chase Center on March 28, 2023 in San Francisco. (Photo by Loren Elliott/Getty Images)
«My problem is you see what Sabonis has done,» Smith said. «He’s not an innocent bystander in all of this. Context, I’ll leave it to JJ [Redick] to provide should definitely be taken into account here.
«And then you have to keep in mind that it’s the fucking playoffs. And considering how good Sacramento has looked in this series, and how good they’ve looked all season, for us to sit here and talk about it, and potentially how will this be sealed The fate of the Golden State It’s a fucking shame.»
NBA executive vice president and head of basketball operations Joe Dumars told ESPN that Green’s «excessive and exaggerated actions» played a significant role in the decision to suspend him.
Draymond Green, #23 of the Golden State Warriors, runs past Domantas Sabonis, #10 of the Sacramento Kings, in the second half during the second game of the Western Conference first round playoffs at the Golden 1 Center on April 17, 2023 in Sacramento, California. Green was fouled flagrantly 2 on the play and was ejected from the game. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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«This is what it came down to: excessive and exaggerated actions, disruptive and reciprocal conduct,» Dumars told ESPN. «That’s what separates this where you end up with a suspension.»
The Warriors face their first 0-2 deficit in a playoff series since 2007.