On Thursday, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green was ejected from the game during a 119-104 loss to the New York Knicks after receiving two technical fouls from the officiating crew.
Green was whistled for his first technical foul with just over four minutes to go in the first quarter after arguing a call with a referee. The second technical foul occurred with 1:04 to go in the first half when Green could be heard yelling an obscenity on the court.
The referee appeared to interpret the language by Green directed toward him, when Green was really yelling at James Wiseman. Green was visibly upset with Wiseman after a play ran on the previous possession resulted in a turnover as the veteran was airing his frustration.
Green immediately pleaded with the officials that he was simply yelling at Wiseman, and not an opposing player or a referee. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr and guard Stephen Curry even joined in the efforts, with no luck as Green was escorted off the court.
Warning: Video may contain explicit language
Draymond just got ejected 🤬 pic.twitter.com/Lf8YU7aDcN
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) January 22, 2021
After the game, Kerr said that he was told at halftime that Green should not have been assessed the second technical foul and that referee John Butler, who issued the call, did not realize Green was yelling at Wiseman.
“Obviously, Draymond is one of our best and most impactful players so it hurt us but we were playing very poorly to that point anyway,” Kerr said after the game. “I’m not going to talk about the officiating.”
The NBA reviews every technical foul issued during games and it stands to reason that the second one on Green will be rescinded. Of course, the bigger issue will be that the Warriors were forced to play without one of its key players over miscommunication on the court with the officials.
Green finished with three points and eight assists in 17 minutes.
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