Difficult call on Green ban
NBA PLAYOFFS
Draymond Green was suspended for Game 3 of the Warriors’ playoff series against the Kings for stepping on Domantas Sabonis’ chest Monday. RANDALL BENTON/AP
The Warriors’ Draymond Green stepping on the chest of the Kings’ Domantas Sabonis was an action the league considered excessive, dangerous and worthy of suspension, NBA executive vice president Joe Dumars said Wednesday.
Dumars — whose job duties include being one of the NBA’s major decision-makers for player discipline matters — shed light on what went into the decision to suspend Green for a playoff game, and why Sabonis’ actions didn’t merit further sanctioning.
“This was not some snap-of-the-finger decision to do this,” Dumars told the AP. “There was much discussion, looking at the play itself over and over. And then ultimately we came to the decision that the act itself, and repeat offenses, actually did warrant a suspension.”
The incident with Sabonis and Green came midway through the fourth quarter of the thirdseeded Kings’ victory in Game 2 of the Western Conference playoff series Monday in Sacramento.
Sabonis grabbed at Green’s ankle and Green wound up stepping — some would describe it as stomping — on Sabonis’ chest.
Sabonis got a technical, Green was ejected, the defending league champions and sixth-seeded Warriors lost to fall into a 2-0 series hole and then the NBA decided Green needed to sit out a full game as well.
“It wasn’t like it went completely unpunished,”
Dumars said of Sabonis’ role. “We didn’t think it rose to the level of Draymond’s play — excessive, over-the-top, dangerous, repeat offender. That’s the separation between what he did and Draymond did.”
Green has been suspended in the playoffs before, missing Game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals because of an accumulation of flagrant-foul points during that postseason.
He went over the limit after what the NBA called at the time a “retaliatory swipe of his hand to the groin” of LeBron James.
The Cavaliers won Game 5, then prevailed in Games 6 and 7 to capture the title.
It’s also Green’s second ban this season. He had to miss a game in March after his 16th technical of the season. And in the preseason, he also caused the Warriors headaches by punching teammate Jordan Poole in practice.
He was also fined $25,000 earlier this season for an incident where the league found he directed obscene language toward a fan.
Suns tie up series: Devin Booker scored 38 points, Kevin Durant had 25 and the fourth-seeded Suns beat the fifth-seeded Clippers 123-109 on Tuesday night in Game 2 to tie the West series.
Garland powers Cavs: Darius Garland scored 32 points, 26 while setting an aggressive tone for the fourth-seeded Cavaliers in the first half, and they evened their East series against the fifth-seeded Knicks at one game apiece with a 107-90 win Tuesday night in Cleveland.
Celtics in control: Jayson Tatum had 29 points and an emphatic dunk to end a clinching late run and the second-seeded Celtics beat the seventh-seeded Hawks 119-106 on Tuesday night in Boston to take a 2-0 lead in the East series.
Dumars — whose job duties include being one of the NBA’s major decision-makers for player discipline matters — shed light on what went into the decision to suspend Green for a playoff game, and why Sabonis’ actions didn’t merit further sanctioning.
“This was not some snap-of-the-finger decision to do this,” Dumars told the AP. “There was much discussion, looking at the play itself over and over. And then ultimately we came to the decision that the act itself, and repeat offenses, actually did warrant a suspension.”
The incident with Sabonis and Green came midway through the fourth quarter of the thirdseeded Kings’ victory in Game 2 of the Western Conference playoff series Monday in Sacramento.
Sabonis grabbed at Green’s ankle and Green wound up stepping — some would describe it as stomping — on Sabonis’ chest.
Sabonis got a technical, Green was ejected, the defending league champions and sixth-seeded Warriors lost to fall into a 2-0 series hole and then the NBA decided Green needed to sit out a full game as well.
“It wasn’t like it went completely unpunished,”
Dumars said of Sabonis’ role. “We didn’t think it rose to the level of Draymond’s play — excessive, over-the-top, dangerous, repeat offender. That’s the separation between what he did and Draymond did.”
Green has been suspended in the playoffs before, missing Game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals because of an accumulation of flagrant-foul points during that postseason.
He went over the limit after what the NBA called at the time a “retaliatory swipe of his hand to the groin” of LeBron James.
The Cavaliers won Game 5, then prevailed in Games 6 and 7 to capture the title.
It’s also Green’s second ban this season. He had to miss a game in March after his 16th technical of the season. And in the preseason, he also caused the Warriors headaches by punching teammate Jordan Poole in practice.
He was also fined $25,000 earlier this season for an incident where the league found he directed obscene language toward a fan.
Suns tie up series: Devin Booker scored 38 points, Kevin Durant had 25 and the fourth-seeded Suns beat the fifth-seeded Clippers 123-109 on Tuesday night in Game 2 to tie the West series.
Garland powers Cavs: Darius Garland scored 32 points, 26 while setting an aggressive tone for the fourth-seeded Cavaliers in the first half, and they evened their East series against the fifth-seeded Knicks at one game apiece with a 107-90 win Tuesday night in Cleveland.
Celtics in control: Jayson Tatum had 29 points and an emphatic dunk to end a clinching late run and the second-seeded Celtics beat the seventh-seeded Hawks 119-106 on Tuesday night in Boston to take a 2-0 lead in the East series.
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