Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Draymond Green earns fifth playoff technical foul

Another Warriors game, another exhibit of Draymond Green crossing the line and acting like the victim. With five playoff technical fouls in only nine outings, Green’s getting a warning letter plus a $4,000 fine and is two away from a mandatory suspension. 

During Game 2 of the Timberwolves v. Warriors, Naz Reid committed a reach-in foul against Green to free the ball and instantly was countered with a flailing arm to the head that dropped him. Stan Van Gundy stupidly wondered if there was intent by the league’s dirtiest player on the TNT broadcast when Green’s dangerous stunts on Tari Eason and Jalen Green happened as recently as the last round.

At some point in the game, a fan allegedly spat some racial smack at Green, getting tossed by arena authorities. This likely had Green more upset after the game, when he gave a brief statement: “The agenda to continue to keep making me look like an angry black man is crazy. I’m sick of it. It’s ridiculous.” 

There is no conspiracy by media folk, who are also his colleagues, because of his roles at TNT and Volume Sports, to sully his reputation. He does that himself whenever he tries to hurt another with non-basketball tactics. MMA moves are a part of his arsenal because of his limitations as a player and his inability to control his violent temper. Yet Steve Kerr said after the game that these things happen because he cares too much. If only someone would have asked the coach how his player’s actions aren’t poisonously selfish.

The only reason people want to question Green is because he’s the same guy who laid out Jordan Poole, threatened his coach, choked Rudy Gobert, windmilled on Jusef Nurkić’s head and kicked Steven Adams’ bollocks, aside from the innumerable list of priors. His postgame comments were BS. He’s upset at the consequences of being a dirty player and thinks his one-day hall-of-fame status should exempt him from reproach.

The series is tied at 1-1, and the new hosts in Golden State will be without Stephen Curry until at least May 14, as he suffered a left hamstring injury early in Game 1. As a result, they played 14 guys on Thursday, the most in the playoffs since 1998. Additionally, when considering Jimmy Butler’s comfort in taking a lesser role, Green will have to be more than an ordinary player for the Warriors to have a chance of advancing. To his credit, Green wasn’t guarded in Game 1, punishing the Wolves for it, but that’s not who he is. The only things he’ll lead the playoffs in are technical (5) plus flagrant fouls (2) accumulated even with an early exit.