When news broke that Memphis Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks has been suspended for Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals, Draymond Green was in the perfect position to weigh in.
Word of the suspension came as Green was recording an episode of his podcast “The Draymond Green Show” on Thursday, and the Warriors star saw it as a fitting punishment for Brooks’ Flagrant 2 foul on Gary Payton II during Game 2 on Tuesday night.
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“Breaking news. That is interesting, you get my live reaction,” Green told listeners. “Again, what’s the debate … I think it’s legit, you know, you get thrown out for a Flagrant 2 and as I’ve said, clearly intent doesn’t matter anymore. Whether [Brooks] was intentional or not doesn’t really matter to me.
“But the reality is Gary Payton II is out for an extended period of time. It was a nasty fall, defenseless player. I get it.”
Brooks’ violent foul on Payton came in the first quarter of the Warriors’ 106-101 loss to the Grizzlies and fractured the Golden State guard’s left elbow.
An MRI on Payton’s elbow Wednesday revealed additional muscle and ligament damage, and the Warriors announced on Thursday that he will be re-evaluated in two weeks. It was good news for Golden State, as Payton could return from what was thought to be a season-ending injury if the Warriors advance far enough in playoffs.
Golden State Warriors
Brooks was subsequently ejected from the game on Tuesday after the foul, and Green applauded the NBA for slapping an additional punishment on the Grizzlies player with the Game 3 suspension.
“Kudos to them,” he said. “I respect the accountability from the NBA. You got to hold guys accountable. I’ve been held accountable.”
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Green was ejected from Game 1 after his own Flagrant 2 foul, which he originally thought might be reduced to a Flagrant 1. It wasn’t, but he wasn’t punished any further. He was infamously suspended from Game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals, which ultimately saw the Cleveland Cavaliers come back from the Warriors' 3-1 lead and win the title thanks in part to Green's absence.
Despite Brooks’ suspension from Game 3 at Chase Center on Saturday, Green knows it will still be a tall order for the Warriors to swing the tied series in their favor.
“[Game 2 was] still a tough game for us,” Green said. “As you can see, he was ejected pretty much the whole game last game. We lost.”