Draymond Green picks up a retroactive flagrant foul

A great win over the Memphis Grizzlies Friday night turned sour late for the Golden State Warriors. Steve Kerr picked up a late technical foul and Draymond Green drew an ejection late in thr 4th quarter with the game already decided. Saturday, the win got even more expensive for Green.

The Grizzlies were rightly upset when Green grabbed Edey’s leg to stop him from running down the court in transition, after Green turned the ball over and fell down. Coach Taylor Jenkins complained about Green’s dirty play after the game, referencing Steve Kerr’s complaint from the 2022 playoffs that Dillon Brooks had “broken the code” on the foul that broke Gary Payton II’s elbow.

It’s also similar to a play from the 2023 playoffs when Domantas Sabonis grabbed Green’s legs in a similar fast break situation. Sabonis also got a flagrant foul for that play, but Green wasn’t satisfied. He stomped on Sabonis’ chest and got ejected, then suspended for the following game.

There’s just something about playing Memphis that sets Green off, though this play, while dangerous, felt more like frustration at a turnover rather than a wildly violent act. But when the guy you’re tripping is over seven feet tall, that’s potentially a really reckless play, and deserved the retroactive flagrant (Green was called for a take foul at the time).

What was stranger was how Kerr and Green both lost it late in the game. In the last two minutes, Green got a technical for complaining about a foul call on Moses Moody. In fairness to Draymond, that call sucked.

Then, with the Warriors leading 120-108 with 1:14 to go, Kerr let his frustration over what he called a “disgusting last quarter and a half” where the game turned into “a parade to the free throw line” turn into a technical foul, one he got after a foul call on the Grizzlies. Though he was likely still unhappy with the first tech on Green.

Not to be left out, Draymond Green managed to get his second technical foul and an ejection from the bench after he was subbed out.

Shout out to the woman sitting courtside who yelled, “You guys are TERRIBLE!” at the officials. Coach Kerr is sorry about using foul language in front of you.

The game was out of reach, but you never know when the two points lost to technical free throws (Desmond Bane missed one of three) might haunt them in the Emirates Cup. Point differential is the tiebreaker in the NBA’s in-season tournament, and it would be better for the Dubs if they were 2-0 with a +10 differential, instead of their current +8.

The added flagrant foul will make Green’s bill to the league at least $6,000 for Friday’s game. A flagrant usually gets a fine of at least $2K, as is the fine for each of a player’s first five technical fouls of the season. Green is now at four for the 2024-25 season, tied with Jayson Tatum for the league lead. He’s at 154 for his career, just two behind Carmelo Anthony for 15th place in NBA history (Green passed Shaq with his opening-night technical).

Friday is going to make it hard for Green to fulfill his own prediction that he’d finish the season with less than 10 technicals. It was an encouraging night for the Warriors and their ability to win big games. It was a discouraging night for Green’s anger management.