NBA
Steve Kerr Takes a Friendly-Fire Shot at Draymond Green After Latest Warriors Loss: ‘He Crossed the Line’
Writing professionally since 2015, Jack Dougherty spent six years as a sportswriter with publications such as GoPSUSports.com, the Centre Daily Times, and the Associated Press before joining Sportscasting in 2020. He covers the NBA, the NFL, and the world of golf extensively and has added expertise on any team located in or around his hometown of Philadelphia. Yes, that includes the Philadelphia Eagles, the Philadelphia 76ers, and Philadelphia Phillies. When Jack isn't writing about sports, he's watching them or playing them as he regularly heads to the gym for some pickup basketball or the golf course to hit the links. He's also an avid participant in the sports betting scene who worked at a casino sportsbook for a year and learned the ins and outs of the industry before bringing his expertise to Sportscasting with one excellent gambling recommendation after another.
Get to know Jack Dougherty betterPublished21 Feb 2021
Draymond Green‘s temper got the best of him again this Saturday night.
During the Golden State Warriors‘ latest game against the Charlotte Hornets, Green got himself ejected late in the contest for berating a referee and picking up two technical fouls. The Warriors went on to lose the game because of Green’s outburst, and head coach Steve Kerr didn’t hold back on his star forward after the loss.
Draymond Green’s temper costs the Warriors a win
During the Warriors’ game against the Hornets this Saturday, Golden State held a slim, two-point lead with just under 15 seconds to play. Draymond Green had a pedestrian game going at the time. The three-time NBA champion had mustered just five points on 2-7 shooting, seven rebounds, and three assists heading into the last few seconds of the game.
The Warriors and Hornets lined up for a jump ball at half-court with the shot clock turned off. The ball was tipped multiple times before eventually landing in Gordon Hayward’s arms as he fell to the floor. Green was immediately there to jump on Hayward and force a tie-up, but the referees awarded the Hornets a timeout just after Hayward gained possession of the ball.
Green didn’t exactly agree with that call. He slammed the ball on the court and stormed away in frustration, berating the refs along the way. Green refused to calm down or fall back to the bench, and the referees hit him with two consecutive technical fouls. Not only was Green ejected from the game, but the Hornets were given two free throws and the ball afterward.
Terry Rozier later sunk an off-balanced jumper to shock the Warriors and give the Hornets a walk-off victory.
Steve Kerr calls out Draymond Green after the loss
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Nobody in the Warriors’ locker room was thrilled with the finish of Saturday’s game. Especially Steve Kerr.
Golden State’s head coach had a blunt reaction to Green’s outburst that cost the Warriors the game.
“He crossed the line, that’s the main thing,” Kerr told reporters after the game. “We love his passion and his energy and we would not be the team we are without him. But that doesn’t give him license to cross the line — and he knows that.”
This isn’t the first time Green’s temper has harmed the Warriors. Green was famously suspended for Game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals because of “unnecessary contact with a retaliatory swipe of his hand to the groin” to LeBron James. Golden State, of course, went on to blow a 3-1 lead in the series to lose in seven games.
If he can’t get his anger under control, this won’t be the last time Green hurts the Warriors with a non-basketball incident.
Draymond Green’s Warriors teammate sticks up for him
The Warriors couldn’t have been happy with Green after the loss, but forward Eric Paschall doesn’t fault him for wanting to win.
“He said it was his fault and he took ownership as a leader,” Paschall said after the game. “We are still rocking with Draymond. Great dude. Great competitor.”
