Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green got into a heated exchange with Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox, during the first quarter of Sunday’s Game 4. Both players were issued technical fouls and that was that. Golden State went on to win the game, tying the series at two games apiece.
De’Aaron and Draymond were chirping in the first quarter 🍿
Green later opened up about the verbal altercation between him and Fox on the latest edition of his podcast “The Draymond Green Show.”
“I return to the game [after the suspension] and, in true Draymond fashion, received a tech [after] about a minute or two of being in the game, if that long,” he said. “Fox and I were going back and forth, he was standing up for his guy, telling me it was BS.”
The 33-year-old went on to say that he continued to jaw at Fox, aiming to possibly bait him into a second technical foul, which would result in an ejection.
“We had a little jawing,” Green added. “Quite frankly, if I’m being honest, in that moment, I’m like, ‘Alright, we got one tech. Cool.’ As long as he’s still talking, I’m still talking, because, guess what, if we get another double tech, we’re both thrown out of the game. I think my team can survive my absence better than the Kings can survive Fox’s absence. My goal wasn’t to get [Fox] ejected because, quite frankly, I wasn’t trying to get myself ejected,” Green said. “But I’m also not backing down or ducking no smoke, ever. And I’m also going to be Draymond forever, and ain’t nothing changing that — not a suspension, not a tech. It [doesn’t] change that.”
Draymond Green Discusses Decision to Come Off Warriors’ Bench
Green returned to the Dubs’ lineup in Game 4, after having to serve a suspension for Game 3. However, he wasn’t in his normal role as a starter, instead checking in as a reserve.
After the win, he explained to the media what had gone into the decision to bring him off the bench, pinpointing the solid play of Jordan Poole with the starting lineup as a key cause.
“When I watch basketball, I’m studying,” Green explained via the NBA Interviews YouTube channel. “And I studied that game. And I saw what was working, and we won. So, I’m a firm believer in, if something isn’t broke, you don’t fix it. And our offense was rolling, and we played good defensively. Really good defensively. So, I didn’t want to come back and just shake things up because I’m back. That’s not right. Jordan went out there. He played well. We played well. He earned it. And our team earned that.”
Steve Kerr Explains Decision to Bench Draymond Green in Warriors Win
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr also discussed the adjustment of bringing Green off the bench, explaining that it was a collaborative effort between him and the star forward.
“He had not come off the bench in 10 years, since before I was coaching,” Kerr said via the NBA Interviews YouTube channel. “But he came to me immediately after Game 3. He drove back to the arena and was in my office and he walked in and said, ‘What do you think about me coming off the bench?’ I had been thinking about it already because of the way Sacramento was guarding us, and just getting another shooter on the floor.”
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Warriors’ Draymond Green Sounds Off on De’Aaron Fox After Heated Exchange