It was the scene of the game. Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors received a second technical foul in the first half against the New York Knicks (104: 119), which led to an automatic ejection. This was due to an error by an arbitrator who thought Green would criticize him. The Warriors star didn’t like that at all.
65 seconds before the end of the first half, Green had become audibly loud on the field after rookie James Wiseman did not play a play as requested. Green let the youngster know, but the young referee John Butler said the criticism was meant for him.
Butler handed the warriors forward a technical foul, it was already the second for Green that evening, which resulted in an automatic ejection. The Warriors tried to make it clear to Chief Referee Ben Taylor that Butler was not meant, but the decision was made. According to Warriors coach Steve Kerr, Taylor admitted to the Dubs dressing room at halftime and admitted it was a mistake.
This no longer helped Green, instead he said to media statements by the refs: “Wow, brave, privileged. (…) I’m a little confused. Referees keep meeting and discussing their decisions,” said the 30-year-old the lot to Marc J. Spears by The Undefeated. “But when it comes to technical fouls that are obviously wrong decisions, it can’t be reversed? Maybe we should take a closer look at this rule, I would like to have clarity.”
Green Ejection: Curry suspects prejudice
The referees kept a low profile after the game about the decision. When asked, Taylor stated that it was never considered to reverse the decision after the Warriors protests. “That’s just not okay,” Green echoed. “This game can have a big impact on us, especially morale, as we are a young team.”
For Curry, on the other hand, the decision had something to do with Green’s reputation. “There are prejudices against him, but you can’t actually run a game like that,” said the two-time MVP.
After the Lakers win, the defeat by New York was a setback, even if the Dubs were already behind most of the time with Green on the field. The Knicks won 119: 104 in the Chase Center, Golden State now occupies seventh place in the Western Conference with a balance of 8-7.
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