Tag: Domantas Sabonis

We should all hate that Draymond Green got suspended for the Domantas Sabonis stomp

Both teams deserve better than this poor decision to suspend Green. 

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I can at least understand why Draymond Green was suspended.

Kings big man Domantas Sabonis may miss Game 3 of the first-round series against the Warriors due to a sternum contusion after Green stomped on him during the fourth quarter during Game 2.

Green was issued a Flagrant 2 and subsequently ejected from the game. The NBA should have hit him with a fine and carried on with the series after that.

Instead, Green was given the same punishment that Grizzlies wing Dillon Brooks received for his flagrant foul that injured Golden State’s Gary Payton II (and forced him to miss the remainder of the postseason) last year.

There is a reason why Shaquille O’Neal, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, Damian Lillard, and so many others are defending Green for these actions. It wouldn’t have happened if Sabonis hadn’t grabbed his ankle!

Green’s response was egregious, and it didn’t help that he chose to escalate the crowd in front of NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.

But here is the real problem: This suspension takes away from the fact that even with Green on the court for the first two games, the Kings handed the Warriors their first 2-0 playoff series deficit since Curry was drafted.

As noted by both Charles Barkley and Jay Williams, this suspension makes the conversation about this series centered around Green and not how well Sacramento is playing.

The Kings enjoyed their first playoff berth since 2006 and are now just two wins away from winning their first postseason series since 2004. They should have that without an asterisk from fans saying they only won because Green was suspended.

I want to see both of these teams play each other at full strength, and with Green sidelined, some fans may issue an excuse if the defending champions lose in the first round.

Both teams deserve better than this poor decision to suspend Green.

Quick Hits: Yankees can’t do math! … Red Sox love celebrating … NHL players crossing the line? … and more

(AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

— Baseball fans mocked the New York Yankees for celebrating the 100th anniversary of a stadium that opened in 2009

— Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo delightfully could not stop accidentally cursing during a live postgame interview

— NHL fans blasted Ryan Suter for crossing the line after dirty plays with Kirill Kaprizov

— Succession fans freaked out about the inner Mr. Darcy finally showing up in Tom Wambsgans

Steph Curry and Klay Thompson backed Draymond Green’s explanation for stomping Domantas Sabonis

“I don’t know what you’re supposed to do in that situation.”

On Monday, Draymond Green added yet another dirty play to his extended lexicon when he stomped Domantas Sabonis. At this point, it’s hard to argue that Green is a dirty player, especially in the heat of the moment.

But Damian Lillard isn’t the only major NBA star defending Green’s position for his stomp. His teammates, particularly Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, also backed Green’s explanation that Sabonis had a hold of his ankle and could’ve hurt him seriously.

Given Green’s history, it’s not something we’re used to, but the defense of this stomp remains rather curious from two players who might know him best. Both Curry and Thompson leaned on the rationale that the player having their foot/ankle grabbed is in an impossible situation.

That no matter what they’re going to do to react, it’ll be wrong.

“I don’t know what you’re supposed to do in that situation.” Uh, not stomp them?

“What are you gonna do when someone grabs your foot while you’re running full speed?” Uh, again, not stomp them?

I understand and appreciate the player’s perspective here about the dangers on the court, but you don’t have to cross the line and hurt someone in return. You don’t have to take it to another level off of something that seems so subjective in real-time.

This would also be a different story if it were almost anyone but Green.

But, with his past in the account, he doesn’t deserve much of any benefit of the doubt.

Domantas Sabonis rips Draymond Green’s stomp: ‘There’s no room for that in our game today’

The heat of playoff basketball is one thing, but this crossed the line.

It’s the playoffs, so of course, we have another on-court incident involving Draymond Green.

On Monday, the Golden State Warriors forward was entangled with the Sacramento Kings’ Domantas Sabonis. Eventually, while Sabonis had a grip of Green’s ankle, Green proceeded to stomp on Sabonis. Green called it a “solid basketball play,” while NBA stars like Damian Lillard came to his strange defense. At the same time, fans made the same Stone Cold Steve Austin joke.

But after the game, the other man involved in the play, Sabonis, had a different reaction. First, on the court, Sabonis said, “It’s playoff basketball; it’s the best.”

Then, once he was all dressed up in street clothes in the locker room, Sabonis had a different tune. He blasted Green for the dirtiness of the play and said that it should have no involvement in the current NBA:

I’ll take it a step further: Green’s stomp has no place in the game today or at any point in its history. Sabonis might have tried to play the diplomat initially, but surely he would share such a sentiment.

Here’s everything we know so far about Draymond Green stomping on Domantas Sabonis

Here’s everything we know about the Draymond stomp in one place.

Tell if you’ve heard this one before: Draymond Green was involved in a dirty play in a playoff game involving his foot.

The Golden State Warriors forward known for some dirty plays in the past got tangled up with Domantas Sabonis in Game 2 of their first-round series against the Sacramento Kings — they’re now down 0-2, for what it’s worth — and responded by stomping on the Kings star.

What will happen as a result? It remains to be seen. But a lot happened, and it was very late on the East Coast, so we’re here to sum it all up for in one place:

Draymond Green laughably calls his Domantas Sabonis stomp a ‘solid basketball play’ on Instagram

Really, Draymond? Was stomping a “solid basketball play”?

Draymond Green is on the defensive after a play that is indefensible.

In Game 2 of the Golden State Warriors’ first-round playoff series against the Sacramento Kings — a 114-106 loss to put the Dubs down in an 0-2 hole — Green got tangled up with Domantas Sabonis, with the Kings star maybe hanging on a bit to Green’s ankle (or was Sabonis trying to shield his own face?).

But Green’s response? He stomped on Sabonis’s chest, resulting in a Flagrant 2 foul and an ejection. The league might suspend him for Game 3, especially given his history.

Green claimed to reporters that his leg got grabbed and that had to land “[his] foot somewhere.”

And then, on an Instagram story? He made this absurd claim:

Look: You can defend yourself all you want. But to call this a “solid basketball play” is very much farfetched.

Draymond Green stomping on Domantas Sabonis had shocked NBA fans using all the WWE GIFs

Draymond Green STOMPED on Domantas Sabonis’s chest

Draymond Green, what are you doing?

In Game 2 of the Golden State Warriors’ first-round playoff series against the Sacramento Kings, the forward known for some dirty plays in the past got tangled up with Domantas Sabonis.

Green claimed Sabonis grabbed his ankle, and the Dubs forward responded … by stomping on the Kings’ forward’s chest.

Green was ejected for his actions, rightfully so, and I’d imagine the league office will think very hard about a suspension here given his history, both recent and otherwise.

As for NBA fans? All they could do was compare what Green did to a WWE move (which should tell you all you need to know about how dirty it was).

NBA Twitter reacts to Draymond Green being ejected from Game 2 for stepping on Domantas Sabonis

NBA Twitter exploded with reactions after Draymond Green was ejected in the fourth quarter of Game 2 for stepping on Domantas Sabonis.

Things started to become chippy between the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings during the fourth quarter of Game 2 on Tuesday night at Golden 1 Center.

Following a Malik Monk miss, the Kings and Warriors began marching down the opposite side of the floor with Golden State in transition. As the ball was moved up the floor, Draymond Green and Domantas Sabonis got tangled up.

With Sabonis on the ground, the Kings All-Star center appeared to grab Green’s ankle causing the Warriors’ forward to step on his chest. The tussle between Green and Sabonis caused a stop in the game and a review from the officials.

After the review, Green was assessed a flagrant two-foul for stepping on Sabonis, triggering an ejection from the game. Sabonis was issued a technical foul for his part in the interactions.

During the official review and on his way to the locker room, Green hyped his teammates while stirring up the Sacramento crowd in signature fashion.

Green finished the game with eight points, five assists, four rebounds and a steal in 31 minutes against the Kings.

Without Green down the stretch, the Warriors couldn’t secure a much-needed win over the Kings in Game 2. Along with Green’s ejection, the Warriors fell to 0-2 in the series against the Kings with another loss on Tuesday night.

Following Green’s ejection, the NBA community on Twitter exploded with a flurry of reactions. Here’s a look at what fans and analysts were saying on Monday evening.

This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! 

 

2022-23 NBA MVP Ladder, Vol. 7: Nikola Jokic is creating separation but it’s still a race at the top

The top contenders have a month to close the gap on Jokic.

Welcome back to another NBA MVP ladder.

This is our first since the All-Star break, and things are shaping up for a very familiar race at the top.

Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid have separated themselves as the clear favorites. And while the betting odds suggest the race nearly over, I think it’s tighter than people want to believe. A month is a lot of time for things to change.

Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry drop off this ladder from last month’s Vol. 6 due to limited playing time (and a trade in KD’s case), which creates room for a couple newcomers. Let’s get into that and more.

Odds from BetMGM

New extension limits? How they would affect the league

We got an update on Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) talks this week and the first bit of potential changes. According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, significant progress has been made in recent weeks on key issues between the NBA and the …

We got an update on Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) talks this week and the first bit of potential changes. According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, significant progress has been made in recent weeks on key issues between the NBA and the Players Union (NBPA), and there’s hope that a deal is within grasp. The current deadline to get a deal done is March 31, and the NBPA has informed the league they intend to complete a deal by then.

Charania also provided some notes on potential changes to the CBA that could come. One would be altering the lower luxury tax tiers to make it more viable for teams to get into the tax. They’re also discussing lowering the NBA draft age eligibility to 18 years old, and implementing cap smoothing to prevent massive cap spikes like in 2016.

The other change that is being discussed is modifying the current contract extension limits. Per Charania, both sides are discussing increasing the maximum first-year salary in an extension from 120 percent to 140-150 percent. The extension rules were bound to be changed considering how much the salary cap has risen over the past seven years, but exactly how they could get changed was unknown until now.

Below is a breakdown of the current extension rules versus the newly proposed ones, and the ripple effects they can have on the league.

NBA betting: Clippers won’t have an easy time in Russell Westbrook’s debut against the Kings

Sacramento is 1.5 games ahead of LA in the West.

Russell Westbrook is expected to make his Los Angeles Clippers debut Friday against the Sacramento Kings, but this game is bigger than one player.

Supposedly a title contender, the Clippers trail the Kings by 1.5 games for third place in the Western Conference. And while there’s much to be decided in terms of seeding over the next two months, they don’t want to fall too far back with the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks lurking close behind in the fifth and sixth spots.

LA’s +1000 championship odds remain fifth best in the NBA at BetMGM, but the Ty Lue-coached squad hasn’t consistently played up to the standards of a team with such expectations. If the Clips are truly turning a corner as it appeared they might be before the All-Star break, a game against Sacramento is a good opportunity to show and prove.

LA is favored at home by 6.5 points, but the upstart Kings won’t be a cakewalk. They started their post-break schedule Thursday with a win over the Portland Trail Blazers, and Friday’s game being the second of a back-to-back is the only reason the spread isn’t closer.

Led by all-stars Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox, Sacramento thrives on the offensive side of the ball where it ranks second to the Denver Nuggets in the entire NBA. It’s just the type of scoring that can exploit a Clippers defense that has slipped from 11th to 21st over an otherwise solid six-game stretch of basketball where they’ve gone 4-2.

In that same span, the Clippers have been a top-10 offensive team, which is why they should win Friday. The Kings don’t have anyone to stop Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. This is where Westbrook can help too, as someone who can create offense for others on a bottom-six team in assist percentage.

Ultimately, though, I don’t think a back-to-back should have a huge effect on a young team fresh off of a long break. And Sacramento’s 15-13 road record is identical to LA’s record at home. So, I’ll pick the Kings to cover in a tight 119-118 win for the Clippers.

Prince’s Pick: Kings +6.5

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