“Referees have dictated too much” – JJ Redick livid on Draymond Green’s suspension, slams officials for favoring the Sacramento Kings
JJ Reddick said that Draymond Green should not be suspended for Game 3 of the series between the Golden State Warriors and the Sacramento Kings.
The third-seeded Kings, up 2-0 in the Western Conference first-round series, are in pole position to move past the Warriors after Green was suspended for Game 3. During the fourth quarter of game 2, Green ended up stomping on Sabonis’ chest after the Lithuanian grabbed hold of Green’s leg’s after falling to the ground.
Green, who said that the stomp was unintentional, received a flagrant-2 foul. Sabonis, who received a flagrant 1, said that he had no intention of pulling down Green.
The Warriors are ‘livid’ with the NBA’s decision to suspend Draymond Green, per @wojespn https://t.co/wH0C54RGCT
However, ESPN's JJ Reddick disagreed, saying that it was Sabonis who pulled Draymond Green down:
“Referees have dictated too much. He (Sabonis) pulls down Draymond Green on the defensive rebound. I watched that clip five times yesterday from three different angles. Not only does he pull him down, as Draymond tries to get up, he reaches aroundnand grabs his legs so that he can't run down the court.
"Earlier in the fourth, Draymond gets a defensive rebound, Sabonis elbows him and he’s running by when he flops to the ground. ... The referees have dictated too much in the Kings' favor in this series."
JJ Reddick claims Sacramento Kings want to play dirty against Golden State Warriors, acknowledges Draymond Green's punishment
It will be fair to say that the series thus far has gone in a surprising manner. De’Aaron Fox took over in Game 1's 126-123 win, while Sabonis and Draymond Green dominated the headlines for Game 2, which Sacramento won 114-106 on Monday. In the background, the Golden State Warriors continued to make silly mistakes and found themselves lacking intensity on offense and defense.
Regardless, JJ Reddick said that the incident that led to the suspension was not the only dirty play by the Sacramento Kings during the game. Reddick said that it seemed part of the Kings’ strategy to play dirty:
“This was – I think this was – part of the strategy. I am not saying Sabonis is a dirty player, but there are some dirty plays here. For the league to acknowledge that Draymond serves a punishment (and yet suspends him). The Warriors have no problem with the ejection.”
"I was not surprised at all [by Draymond Green's suspension], but incredibly disappointed [in the NBA]. ... I'm disgusted with the NBA this morning."
—@stephenasmith https://t.co/bqxGyLF4m0
Considering the suspension, it seems as if the Sacramento Kings have gotten away with the incident as well. The Kings, led by De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, are clearly in the driver's seat and only need to maintain their level of play to knock out the defending champions.