Getty Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors.
The Golden State Warriors have won one playoff game so far this postseason, and they did so during a contest in which fiery forward Draymond Green was suspended.
Green spoke as part of a media session on Saturday, April 22, during which he was asked if the NBA had created a “Draymond rule” by admitting in its ruling that the league took the forward’s history of technical fouls, flagrant fouls and suspensions into account when doling out his most recent punishment.
The NBA league office suspended Green for Game 3 of the Warriors’ first-round playoff series against the Sacramento Kings on Thursday after Green stepped on the chest of Kings forward Domantas Sabonis.
“As long as they’re creating Draymond Rules, that means we’re winning and that’s great.”
Draymond on calls he’s received during the playoffs 👀
(via @NBCSWarriors)
“They created Draymond rules before. Them s**** don’t work. I’m still sitting here, still winning,” Green said, per a video of the press conference posted on Twitter by Bleacher Report. “Draymond won’t be moved by no Draymond rules. I will continue to play the game how I play the game, operate how I operate, be exactly who I am because that leads to winning.”
“If I was losing, they wouldn’t be creating Draymond rules,” Green continued. “So as long as they creating Draymond rules, that means we’re winning and that’s great. They can create as many Draymond rules as they want. That’s beautiful. And it doesn’t change Draymond so, it is what it is.”
Draymond Green Referenced LeBron James, NBA Finals While Calling Out League
GettyDomantas Sabonis (left) of the Sacramento Kings and Draymond Green (right) of the Golden State Warriors.
Saturday was not the first time Green set his sights on the officials for what he clearly considers to be both in-game and historical bias against himself and, by extension, the rest of the Golden State organization. Green also spoke out about the issue during the Friday edition of his podcast The Draymond Green Show.
“I never knew you could be suspended for a flagrant two that happened seven years ago,” Green said, referencing the infamous groin punch he threw at LeBron James during the NBA Finals in 2016, which earned Green a suspension for Game 5 of that series.
For what it’s worth, the Dubs held a 3-1 lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers before Green’s suspension. The three-game losing streak that came next also led to Golden State losing out on a repeat championship.
Warriors’ Steph Curry Spoke Out Against NBA’s Suspension of Draymond Green
GettySteph Curry (left) and Draymond Green (right) of the Golden State Warriors.
Steph Curry, Green’s dynastic co-star over the past decade, also spoke publicly against the league’s decision to suspend Green for Game 3.
“Understanding how bad of a decision I think the league made on suspending him, you’re frustrated with that,” Curry told ESPN’s Kendra Andrews on Thursday. “We have a job to do and there’s nothing we can do about it.”
What Curry could do about it was drop 36 points on the Kings in Game 3, the first of the series at Chase Center in San Francisco. Curry shot 12-of-25 from the floor and 6-of-12 from long range to lead the Dubs to a comfortable 114-97 victory.
Green will be back in the lineup for Game 4, which is scheduled for Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. WST. The Warriors were 7.5-point favorites in the contest as of Saturday night.