There has been a lot of talk surrounding Draymond Green’s suspension for Game 3 on Thursday against the Sacramento Kings. His absence is expected to make a significant impact on the game with the Golden State Warriors looking to win their first game of the series after going down 0-2 in Sacramento. It’s a tough blow for the Dubs, but at this point, they have no other choice but to face the music.
If you ask JJ Redick, however, the ESPN broadcaster believes that Green shouldn’t have been suspended in the first place. Redick implied that the NBA’s decision to suspend Draymond may have stemmed from the veteran’s decision to rile up the crowd as his foot stomp on Domanitas Sabonis was being reviewed:
“When you make stuff with the fans [after an ejection], there’s rules around leaving the court, that’s always just a fine. You would never get suspended for that,” Redick said on a recent episode of the Old Man & The Three podcast. “… I don’t think he should have been suspended. I’ll stand by that.”
“When you make stuff with the fans [after an ejection], there’s rules around leaving the court, that’s always just a fine. You would never get suspended for that.”
JJ Redick on Draymond Green’s suspension for Game 3 vs. the Kings.
(via @OldManAndThree)pic.twitter.com/DbSjhkSVro
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You have to note that NBA commissioner Adam Silver was in attendance during the game, and it would probably be safe to assume that the league’s head honcho was not at all pleased with Green’s antics, particularly with how he interacted with the Kings fans immediately after his incident with Sabonis. It appears that Redick is also saying here that the decision to suspend Draymond for this pivotal game may have been impacted by how the NBA viewed his actions with the home crowd.
Redick’s guest on the podcast was fellow NBA on TNT’s Jamal Crawford, who himself also stated his disagreement with the league’s decision to suspend Draymond Green:
“For just the action itself, no, I don’t think that as suspension worthy, especially when it was a reaction,” Crawford said.
Whichever side of the fence you may be sitting on here, the reality is that the Warriors will need to battle the Kings on Thursday without Green in the mix. How big an impact that will have on this must-win contest remains to be seen.
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