Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green once again let his intrusive thoughts win on Wednesday against the Orlando Magic.
Green was ejected just minutes into his team’s 101-93 victory over the Magic at Kia Center. He picked up two technical fouls in quick succession after disputing an early foul called on Warriors teammate Andrew Wiggins.
It was the fourth time Green was ejected this season and the first since coming back from his 12-game suspension served earlier this season.
Draymond ejected after his 2nd tech less than 4 min into 1Q 😳 pic.twitter.com/hahXQf2TjR
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 27, 2024
Stephen Curry’s in-game reaction after Green was indeed tossed said it all.
Golden State Warriors Member Had Stern Message on Draymond Green Ejection
Both Steve Kerr and Steph Curry have weighed in on the matter, giving relatively expected answers about Green’s ejection.
One Warriors member, protected by anonymity, was able to provide what’s probably a more realistic take on regarding Green’s on-court relapse. The “influential member of the [Warriors] organization” spoke to The Athletic’s Anthony Slater on Wednesday.
But another influential member of the organization struck a sensible tone in the tunnel postgame when discussing the reality of the situation: “What? Did we really just expect he was never gonna get ejected again?”
Green has been on relatively good behavior since coming back from an NBA-mandated leave to rehabilitate. But Green has still shown some slivers of his old self at times. Wednesday’s win against the Magic was the biggest example.
But it’s probably unrealistic to expect him to completely eradicate such outbursts, despite the highest of hopes from Curry, Kerr and the Dub Nation.
The Golden State Warriors Escaped Orlando With A Win Despite Draymond Green’s Ejection
Any turmoil involving Green becomes worse in the context of Golden State’s playoff battle with the Houston Rockets. The Rockets are breathing down the necks of the Warriors, just one game behind the 2022 champs entering Thursday’s contests.
But the Warriors were able to withstand Green’s absence and a cold shooting night from Curry to beat the Magic and hold serve against the Rockets. Houston also won in overtime on Wednesday against a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander-less Oklahoma City thunder squad.
Courtside view of Steph Curry’s dagger 3 🥶 pic.twitter.com/wty1uj5xRN
— 30🅿️roblemz (@30problemz) March 28, 2024
Curry finished with 17 points on 6-of-18 shooting from the field and three triples. While the Warriors superstar wasn’t firing on all cylinders, Curry’s final three came at exactly the right time to seal the victory.