What Warriors, Clarke, Green said about Game 1 ejection
Draymond Green’s second-quarter ejection was just one of several twists in a drama-filled Game 1 of a secondround NBA playoff series Sunday at Fedexforum.
After the Golden State Warriors won 117-116, Green greeted his teammates postgame in the visitors tunnel. It was the same tunnel he ran toward twice to rile up the crowd after he was issued a flagrant-2 on the Memphis Grizzlies‘ Brandon Clarke.
The Warriors were surprised by the ejection and said it fueled their performance. Klay Thompson called the ejection unfortunate, and Jordan Poole thought it was a hard playoff foul that Green has previously committed.
“It’s a tough call obviously on the road to try to start a series . ... Nobody wants to see that. It’s not good for the game,” Warriors guard Stephen Curry said. “I didn’t think it deserved that, obviously. You get an emotional rise out of it, but you try to stay locked in and deal with the circumstances and give ourselves a chance to win.”
Clarke wasn’t surprised. He thought the play was consistent with Green’s past for hard fouls, including one that got him suspended for Game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals.
“I can take a hit. He’s been known for flagrant fouls in his career. I’ve watched him on TV my whole life it feels like, so I wasn’t really shocked,” Clarke said. “I don’t really like to flop or nothing, but he did hit me pretty hard twice, really, when I saw it again. It’s just us coming out and playing our ball. I’m not really worried about it or nothing. It’s not shocking he did that. It’s something he did in the past.”
According to the official pool report, Green was issued a flagrant-2 for two reasons. Crew chief Kane Fitzgerald cited Green for the “wind up and significant conduct to the face” on the initial contact.
The second reason came “from the pull down from the jersey grab and throwdown to the floor to an airborne vulnerable player,” which made it unnecessary and excessive.
On his podcast Sunday night, Green said he tried to hold Clarke up after fouling him. He didn’t believe the play was excessive but thought he was ejected based on his prior reputation.
“A guy jumping off two feet straight up and down who then sells a foul and dives to the floor, can’t quite say he was in an unsafe position,” Green said. “So I guess me trying to explain this flagrant foul to you, your guess is just as good as mine.”
Green started to run off the court as fans cheered, assuming he was ejected. But instead, he skipped back to the Warriors’ bench to slap his teammates’ hands before leaving for good and egging on the crowd for more noise.
Green will return for Game 2 Tuesday (8:30 p.m., TNT) but he’s halfway to a suspension. Per NBA rules, flagrant-2 fouls are worth two points compared to one for a flagrant-1. If a player picks up four points in a series, he is suspended for one game.
Nevertheless, it was an opening salvo for what could be an entertaining series. Warriors coach Steve Kerr said it led to the team’s 13-5 run to open the third quarter.
The Grizzlies kept it close until Ja Morant missed the potential gamewinning layup to end the fourth quarter. It was an opportunity missed for them and one gained by the Warriors winning without their emotional leader.
“You really have to find that grit, that grind and just buckle down and lock in on the defensive end,” Poole said. “Defensively, he’s such a big part of our team and we knew it would be a huge win if we were able to get it without him on the court.”