“That was deliberate, I don’t care what anybody tells me” - Jay Williams believes the NBA should’ve suspended Draymond Green after Game 1, says they got it right with Dillon Brooks
Draymond Green and Dillon Brooks have turned the semifinal matchup between the Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies into an all-out slugfest.
In Game 1, Green was ejected after being assessed a Flagrant 2 foul for hitting Brandon Clarke in the face. In Game 2, we saw that Memphis had no intentions of taking that lightly.
Whether it was in retaliation for what Draymond Green did or not, Dillon Brooks ramped up the intensity of this series.
When Gary Payton II went up for a fastbreak dunk, Brooks came from behind and hit him while he was mid-air. Payton landed awkwardly as he hit floor and suffered an elbow injury that has him sidelined for the foreseeable future.
Dillion Brooks has been ejected for this Flagrant 2 foul on GPII 👀
(via @TSN_Sports)
https://t.co/agLhKOjWUy
In response to this foul, Brooks was suspended for Game 3 without pay. This has caused many to debate whether Draymond Green should have suffered a similar fate for what he did in Game 1.
While on ESPN's "KJM," Jay Williams gave his thoughts on the matter. While he agrees the NBA got it right with Brooks, he feels Draymond Green got off easy. In his eyes, the Warriors forward should have also been handed a suspension for his actions toward Clarke. Williams stated:
“That was deliberate. I don’t care what anybody tells me.”
Draymond Green being judged off reputation
Over the years, Green has built a reputation of being an enforcer for the Warriors. On a team filled with beautiful ball movement and outside shooting, he is the guy in the trenches doing the dirty work.
Because of this view, Green has always been a target for officials. Some even argue he was ejected in Game 1 of this series because of reputation. Everyone still remembers his low blow on LeBron James that caused him to miss a game in the finals and arguably cost the Warriors a championship.
Despite all this, it seems a bit unfair to put what Draymond Green and Dillon Brooks did in the same category. While it was a hard foul on Clarke, it was nothing to the degree of what was done to Payton.
Draymond Green was hit with a flagrant 2 foul and ejected after this foul on Brandon Clarke.
Good or bad ejection call? 🤔
https://t.co/lDKM9ST0Y8
Gary Payton II was a defenseless player in the air who was hit by someone he didn't see coming. On top of that, he sustained an injury that might cost him the rest of this season.
It's an unfortunate circumstance for a guy having a career year and who is set to become a free agent this summer.
Both were hard fouls the game could have lived without, but to say Green deserved the same punishment as Brooks is a bit extreme.