Draymond Green makes his opinion clear on Joe Mazzulla’s take on NBA allowing fights
Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla suggested that the NBA bring back on-court fights, prompting a humorous response from Draymond Green, known for being involved in several scuffles in his career. Green replied that he’d already experienced the consequences of NBA altercations and wasn’t interested in revisiting that.
In an interview with NBC Sports Boston on Tuesday, Mazzulla shared his thoughts on how fights could add a layer of entertainment to the league’s games.
“The biggest thing that we rob people of, from an entertainment standpoint, is you can’t fight anymore,” he said. “I wish you could bring back fighting. … You wanna talk about what’s robbing the league of more entertainment, what’s more entertaining than a little scuffle?”
Draymond Green, who has accumulated 151 technical fouls and 19 ejections in his career, understood Mazzulla’s point but distanced himself from the idea.
"I get what Joe is trying to get at," Green said on Thursday's episode of “The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis.” "The s**t-talking and guys getting testy, we take so much of that out of the game today. ... Actual, physical fights Joe, I'm here to petition against you." (42:34 mark)
"Where (fighting) almost led me, man? I don't want none of that. I'm gonna leave that to Joe. Joe, you go and fight."
In explaining his take, Mazzulla said other sports allow physical altercations, even when players have gear like bats or sticks, while basketball involves only a ball.
“How come in baseball they’re allowed to clear the benches? How come in hockey they’re allowed to. … I don’t understand. They have bats and weapons, we don’t. We just have a ball,” Mazzulla said.
A look back at some of Draymond Green’s infamous scuffles
Draymond Green has been involved in several other altercations, from punching teammate Jordan Poole during practice to placing Rudy Gobert in a chokehold, alongside numerous heated exchanges with referees.
Draymond Green has also gained infamy for several groin-related fouls on opponents. One of the most memorable was in Game 3 of the 2016 Western Conference Finals between the Warriors and the Thunder when Green, trying to score over Steven Adams, lost possession and kicked Adams in the groin.
Green wasn’t ejected but received a Flagrant 1 foul, which was later upgraded to a Flagrant 2 with a $25,000 fine.
This upgrade had postseason ramifications, as it led to Green’s suspension for Game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals, which contributed to the Warriors’ eventual seven-game loss.