Warriors’ Draymond Green fined by NBA after Game 2 loss vs Grizzlies
With blood in his eyes, the Warriors’ forward let his temper get the better of him, but it would appear he’s not at all bothered by the outcome.
After an intense game which saw the Grizzlies level the series with a critical win, one Warriors player is now facing disciplinary action from the league
Draymond Green fined by the NBA but he doesn’t care
According to reports, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has been fined $25,000 by the league after he flipped off Memphis Grizzlies fans during Tuesday’s Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals. The moment occurred during the first quarter of the Warriors’ 106-101 loss to the Grizzlies, when Green held up his two middle fingers as he walked back to his team’s locker room to receive stitches having sustained a right eye laceration. At the time fans were booing him which seemed to be something that Green was not willing to tolerate.
“You gonna boo someone who was elbowed in the eye and face is running with blood, you should get flipped off,” Green said. “I’ll take the fine. I’ll do an appearance and make up the money. It felt really good to flip them off. ...If they are going to be that nasty, I will be nasty, too. I’m assuming the cheers were because they know I’ll be fined. Great - I make $25 million a year. I should be just fine.”
Is it the Grizzlies fans vs Draymond Green?
Incidentally, this isn’t Green’s first flirtation with controversy in this series. In Game 1, Green was ejected with less than two minutes left in the first half after committing a second flagrant foul, when he hit Memphis’s forward Brandon Clarke in the head before adding insult to injury by pulling his jersey. With that in mind it was no surprise that Green was a focal point for the wrath of Grizzlies fans during Game 2 at the FedEx Forum. Indeed, every time Green touched the ball, the Grizzlies faithful let him know they were not happy. with that said it would appear that the Warriors veteran is all to happy to be the antagonist of the story.
The Ja Morant effect
On the back of a spectacular performance by star player Ja Morant who had a playoff career high of 47 points, the Grizzlies tied the series at 1-1. Morant who has been somewhat inconsistent during this post season was in fine form as he got his team back on track against the more experienced Warriors. “That loss was on my mind a lot, obviously missing that layup late,” Morant said of his late miss at the end of Game 1. “But coming into today, I told myself we needed a win, and we were going to get a win. I just took it upon myself to go out there and do that for us.” The NBA’s Most Improved Player became only the third player in league history to have multiple 45-point games in the postseason before turning 23. Who are the other two players you ask? LeBron James and Kobe Bryant.