[Saba Sports News] In a thrilling Friday night contest, the Golden State Warriors narrowly defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 141-139. The game concluded with a review after Steph Curry appeared to seal the victory with a layup, only for officials to call Draymond Green for basketball interference.
Following a protest, the play underwent review and was overturned, ensuring the Warriors’ triumph. Crew chief Mitchell Ervin stated in the postgame pool report, “There was clear and conclusive evidence that Draymond did not touch the ball. While Draymond did make contact with the rim, it did not affect the ball’s trajectory, thus ruling out a basketball violation.”
Despite the correct final call, this wasn’t the only contentious moment involving Green during the game. With approximately 38 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and the Thunder holding a one-point lead, Green had a heated outburst. He vigorously gestured and yelled at an official, and this tirade persisted for nearly 40 seconds.
Remarkably, Green managed to avoid both a technical foul and a delay of game penalty. The play-by-play announcer expressed surprise, stating, “I’m not sure why he’s so upset. The leniency he gets away with is astonishing.”
In most cases, any other player in the league would have received an immediate technical foul in such a situation. Engaging in arm-waving in front of the referee would typically result in immediate consequences, potentially even an ejection if it continued.
However, Green emerged from this confrontation without any repercussions and played a crucial role in securing a two-point victory for his team. Nonetheless, the game didn’t conclude without a touch of controversy surrounding Green’s actions.
While Ervin fielded numerous questions about Green following the game, he was not queried about the aforementioned exchange or the reasons behind Green’s avoidance of a technical foul.