Draymond Green stole the show in the Golden State Warriors’ home game against the Orlando Magic on Monday. Just that it wasn’t because of his on-court performance; instead, his reaction to head coach Steve Kerr’s criticism during a timeout in the third quarter drew all the attention.
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Green was seen storming off to the dressing room after the incident. He then sat out the remaining 20 minutes of Golden State’s 120-97 victory.
Green later admitted that tempers had flared and that it was best for him to sit out. Kerr, on his part, revealed that he would not have turned to his otherwise trusted forward even if he had remained on the bench. Now, leaked audio from the game has shed light on what exactly happened that led to the testing of the strong bond between the two.
Kerr was simply not happy with how Draymond was playing. On top of that, the forward kept arguing with the referees, which could have led to a technical foul and possibly another ejection. So, Kerr, after calling a timeout, decided to call Green out.
“F**k you,” was Green’s response, which prompted Kerr to retaliate.
“If you don’t want me to talk to you, go home,” the four-time championship-winning head coach fired back. That’s the moment when the rest of the Warriors players decided that things were getting out of hand. Moses Moody stepped in and tried to calm the situation.
Kerr hadn’t given up on Green just yet. But the four-time All-Star continued to be livid. “How am I supposed to coach you?” Kerr asked. Eventually, he decided not to play Green again in the game, and that proved to be the final straw. Green got up and disappeared into the tunnel.
In all honesty, it was probably best that Green left. He isn’t known for being a particularly composed figure when angry. He could have said or done something that might have warranted internal discipline from the Warriors organization.
As Green admitted later in his post-game press conference, basketball is an emotional game. Things happen, but everyone moves on. This incident is unlikely to have a lasting impact on his relationship with Kerr, or so the Warriors would hope.
