Draymond Green’s ejection in the Warriors’ chaotic loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday night couldn’t have come at a worse time for Golden State.
It surprised the Warriors’ star forward, fans at Chase Center and even coach Steve Kerr, who has seen plenty of angered Draymond yet was still stunned by the call.
“It was unfortunate, obviously we need Draymond desperately,” Kerr told reporters after the loss. “So I was surprised by that. He wasn’t swearing, he wasn’t getting personal, I guess [official Marat Kogut] felt like Draymond didn’t stop complaining, but Draymond has never stopped complaining his whole career, we know that.”
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Kerr has dealt with Draymond for eight seasons and counting.
If anyone understands first-handedly how loud an upset Draymond Green can be, it’s Kerr.
But to that same point, Kerr felt like at that moment Draymond wasn’t being overly aggressive and thought the call was unfair. And Kerr has never been one to talk down on the officiating.
“He’s earned what he’s done in this league,” Kerr said. “Draymond knows how to walk that line, once he gets that first one, he understands what it takes to get a second one and he did not think he deserved it but he can’t get kicked out of that game. He knows that, we’re short-handed already.”
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Whether the ejection was justified or not, Draymond knows that as an important leader to this Warriors squad, he can’t be getting booted from a game his team lost that could have been a different outcome had he been on the court.
Golden State Warriors
And that will be crucial for the Dubs’ final 11 games of the regular season and even more so into the playoffs.