SAN FRANCISCO – Draymond Green sat in his locker and started taking the tape off his ankles minutes after the Warriors finished Lost to the Detroit Pistons, 122-119, on a triple pointer that pulses a bell from Friend Bey. Emotions and frustrations were still running high.
Especially for Green, who got into hot water for a situation where he was trying to prevail with a calmer head. Unfortunately for him and the warriors, the rulers didn’t look at it that way.
With 1:25 left in the game and the Warriors down by two points, Bay hit a big three before the eventual game winner. With the ball in the air, the Green Pistons cornered big man Isaiah Stewart. As she slid through the net, Stewart’s jersey was held by Green, prompting the 21-year-old to push the 32-year-old veteran.
Looks like a scramble match has arisen. In fact, Green was sticking with Stewart with the goal of ending the situation and getting over it. The warriors called timeout, and when they went to return to Earth they had to do so without their leader.
Green and Stewart were both evaluated for technical fouls. For Draymond, that put an end to his night after he received a technical earlier in the second quarter.
“Make a decision, make a decision,” Green told NBC Sports Bay Area and Mercury News in the locker room when asked about the double technical fouls on him and Stewart. “Make a decision. The only thing I can guarantee you is that it wasn’t a double technique, so just make a choice. That’s it.”
It’s no secret at this point that Green has a great reputation with umpires and throughout the NBA. He’s brash, he’s brash, he’s stubborn and more often than not, he’s right.
He and his coach and teammates felt he was right this time. It’s hard to argue with his interpretation of what he was doing and saying at the moment.
Drymond was determined to de-escalate the situation. One could see his intentions in real time by the way he attracted and held Stuart. He didn’t want to push or scramble anymore, yet he was the one who was being punished.
“I said, ‘Calm down, brother. Calm down, brother. I’m in this kind of time. Calm down, brother. Calm down,” Green explained.
What makes matters worse for Green and Golden State is that his ejection was his 12th technical foul of the season. He’s played 35 games this season, and there are still 43 regular season games on the Warriors’ schedule.
After Wednesday night, Green only had four technical fouls left from his one-game suspension. Does this mean?
This is what he said when asked about his technical errors, which were close to the limit.
“I’m going to get a game ban anyway because of what happened in the past with the referees,” Green said. “So you stop talking to them and you still get the technology. So I get suspended anyway, that’s what it is.
“There isn’t anything I can do about it.”
When Green was forced to watch the rest of the game from the Warriors’ locker room, Steve Kerr couldn’t believe it. Did this really happen? How did the player, whom he called before the game “the best defender” he’d ever seen, lose a five-point game with an extra minute remaining?
During his post-match press conference, Kerr’s anger at the decision was heard and felt.
Timing matters, context matters, knowing the situation matters. To the Warriors, this is where the referees dropped the ball the most.
“In my mind, it’s like, Do we have to call a double technician and take a player out of the game because two players are in a really competitive game, in the most competitive basketball league on earth — oh who knew they were going to get a little upset with each other?” Kerr said on Twitter. Platform. “This is the game. This is what people pay to see – competition at its highest level.”
“So, to come out of the time-out, we already set up our play, Draymond is on the ground and we have to get the ball out. Then they tell us Draymond has been sent off. It’s tough. I’ve never tried that before, and I prefer in those situations that the officials are aware that someone What’s got a T we’re not going to throw out because two guys got into a little shouting match, or whatever.
“If it’s earned, it’s earned. I’m probably totally wrong. If I’m wrong it’s my fault. But I really don’t think there should be dual techniques that dislodge that.”
Anthony Lamb was one of the main reasons the Warriors finally had a chance. He scored 17 points in the loss, tying for his most as a Warrior. The Warriors looked tired and played with heavy legs two nights after a double overtime win, which made Lamb’s 14 first-half points all the more important.
Lamb played the final six minutes of Wednesday’s loss and even hit Klay Thompson for a game-tying three-pointer in the final seconds. This is Lamb’s first season playing for the Green and their lockers are only spaced apart. He saw Draymond’s fire and desire, as well as his importance to warriors.
In his view, Green was in control at the moment with Stewart and throughout the game. “He was quite a Drymond as you could see,” said Lamb. Looking back on the ejection, Lamb defended his teammate and took the line that is the NBA.
“I don’t know if I’m allowed to talk about it, but I think it’s circumstantial,” said Lamb. “As a staff referee, knowing Draymond already has one, come on. Calling a double technician there at the end of the game is really tough for our team. They called it how they called it, and that’s what it is.”
Related: The Pistons are trolling the Warriors after being spoiled by Bay
The Warriors didn’t do themselves any favors by falling into an early hole and letting the Pistons go on an 8-0 run to end the first quarter. The Pistons made 16 three-pointers and shot 44.4 percent from long range. Coming into the game, they averaged 11.6 triples per game on a 35.3 percent clip. Pollution was again an issue as the Warriors were whistled for 20 fouls—nine more than the Pistons—and Detroit shot 23 free throws. In addition, the Pistons scored 22 points from the Warriors’ 14 turnovers.
Being heartless and cool all the time with a chance to get a six-game winning streak and move several spots up the Western Conference standings because of the referees’ opinion. It stings, making an already heartbreaking loss hard to swallow.
Now, the Warriors have a chance to regroup and prepare for a date with the Orlando Magic on Saturday night. The biggest concern is figuring out how many technical errors Green has accumulated, and making sure there aren’t any long-term repercussions from such a decision.