The Golden State Warriors may be on the outside of the playoffs looking in, but Draymond Green has never been the type to stay quiet when he has something to say. Among active players, he leads the NBA with 23 career ejections, sits second with 177 technical fouls, and third with 21 flagrant fouls. Nobody in the league understands the consequences of physicality better than he does.
So when the NBA decided not to suspend Victor Wembanyama following a Flagrant 2 elbow on Naz Reid in Game 4 of the San Antonio Spurs‘ second-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Green had plenty to say about it.
Warriors’ Green Fires Back at the NBA’s Decision
Getty Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors.
Green addressed the no-suspension ruling on his podcast this week. He did not hold back. The argument was simple: the standard applied to Wembanyama would never be applied to him or players like him. “For there not to even be a fine is crazy. It’s crazy,” Green said. He was not advocating for suspensions across the board. He was calling for consistency.
The argument carried weight given his history. Green has been suspended in the postseason for plays that drew far less attention than what Wembanyama did in Game 4. The double standard he described is one he has lived firsthand.
He also warned Minnesota on his podcast. The Timberwolves needed to respond physically or risk losing the mental battle of the series. The tone, Green argued, had already been set.
“I saw Mitch Johnson’s press conference, I was like ‘Woah’… Jaden McDaniels and Joker just got fined for much less, I would say to the Minnesota Timberwolves ‘Hey guys, this is fair game, there’s no suspension,
Wembanyama Answered on the Court
GettyVictor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs.
The Spurs took that tone and ran with it in Game 5. Wembanyama returned after his Game 4 ejection and put together one of the more dominant individual playoff performances of the postseason, finishing with 27 points, 17 rebounds, five assists and three blocks in a 126-97 blowout that gave San Antonio a 3-2 series lead.
At 22 years old, only two players in NBA history have posted that stat line in a playoff game at a younger age. He was locked in from the opening tip, scoring 18 points in the first quarter alone and setting a tone that Minnesota could never overcome. The Timberwolves trimmed an 18-point deficit to even early in the third quarter, but the Spurs recaptured control and never looked back.
Keldon Johnson added 21 points, De’Aaron Fox contributed 18, and Stephon Castle chipped in 17 as San Antonio held Minnesota under 100 points for the fifth time in ten postseason games. Anthony Edwards finished with 20 for the Timberwolves but was held to just eight in the first half.
The Spurs can close out the series in Game 6 on Friday in Minneapolis and advance to face Oklahoma City in the Western Conference Finals.
What the Warriors Star’s Argument Really Says
Green’s pushback was never really about Wembanyama personally. It was about consistency. He has been suspended for plays that drew less attention than what happened in Game 4. Whether the same standard should apply to everyone is a fair debate.
Others would point out that context matters. Unlike Green, Wembanyama has no real history of this kind of play. He was ejected on the spot, the Spurs lost Game 4 as a result, and the league may have viewed that as punishment enough.
Either way, it is a conversation worth having.
Final Word
Wembanyama responded on the court in Game 5 with one of the more dominant playoff performances of the postseason. The Spurs now sit one win from the Western Conference Finals.
Game 6 is Friday in Minneapolis. Minnesota needs a win to survive. San Antonio needs one more to advance to face Oklahoma City.
The series is far from over. But right now, the Spurs have all the momentum.
Warriors’ Draymond Green Calls Out NBA After Wembanyama Decision