Playoff basketball is often some of the most interesting and intense professional sports matchups in the world. Best of seven series filled with star power and even bigger story lines. One such story has begun to outshine some of the others and for all of the wrong reasons. On April 17th during game 2 between the Sacramento Kings and the Golden State Warriors, Draymond Green was seen “stomping” on Domantas Sabonis’ chest. I use the term stomping loosely as the initial impact was more so of Draymond gaining his balance. The requisite standing and apply total weight onto Sabonis however was what I believed the NBA and the Officials deemed excessive. Upon review Sabonis was seen grasping Draymond’s right calf and preventing him from getting up court on what was a fast break chance for Golden State. The act is what many view as the cause of Green having his foot land on Sabonis and the start of the entire altercation. It has led many analysts and sports commentators to debate who exactly is at fault and who should be punished. In all honesty, It is the reason I am writing this article now. So, who is the most at fault?
Draymond was issued a double flagrant and ejected from the game while Sabonis was issued a single flagrant foul. Based on the reactions from some opinion pieces, Sabonis should have gotten a more significant punishment during the game and possibly after. Ultimately the only person who got punished after the game was Draymond as he is now suspended for game 3 in what could spell the end of the Warriors hopes of defending their 2022 NBA championship. Down 2-0, the Warriors cannot afford to be without Draymond who is vital to how the Warriors system operates on both ends of the floor. The issue here is that Draymond really has no one to blame but himself. Sabonis was never going to get suspended or fined. His history from a suspension, ejection, technical or flagrant foul standpoint is almost non-existent. Sabonis, according to CBS Sports, had never been ejected from a game until March of 2022. Draymond on the other hand has a well-known history and is probably the poster child for how to get technicals, flagrants, and end up being ejected from a game. Need more evidence? Sabonis in the last 3 years, according to Team Rankings website, has only had 11 technical fouls. Draymond in that span has had 50. Draymond has also been ejected 17 times in his career, fined over $1 million, and consistently is at the top of the technical foul leader board. He has substantially less wiggle room for error and he knows this to be true.
It has been a consistent theme with Green during his career that he cannot keep himself in check. From punching teammate Jordan Poole at the beginning of the year, hitting LeBron and Steven Adams in the groin, and now the Sabonis stomp, Draymond has put himself in a position where even the slightest step out of line is substantially more scrutinized than if anyone else were to do it. It has been an ongoing issue and something many columnists have pointed out during his career. Draymond hurts his team by not being on the floor and this time many believe it could spell then end of his career in Golden State. The Warriors will now face a surging Kings team who is hungry for their first playoff series win since 2004 and are looking down the barrel of a possible 3-0 hole without one of their most essential pieces. Draymond has only himself to blame as the window closes on the Warriors in the Playoffs and on him in a Warriors uniform.