Kevin Durant Comments on NBA's Decision to Not Suspend Draymond Green
While many were critical of the league's decision not to suspend Golden State Warriors power forward Draymond Green, Kevin Durant wasn't surprised by the news.
Speaking Tuesday, the Oklahoma City Thunder star discussed how he expected the NBA to allow Green to play in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals, per ESPN.com's Royce Young:
The NBA announced Monday it fined Green $25,000 and upgraded his foul on Oklahoma City Thunder big man Steven Adams from a Flagrant 1 Foul to a Flagrant 2 Foul. Green earned the flagrant foul after kicking Adams in the groin in Game 3 on Sunday:
The league issued a harsher punishment for Cleveland Cavaliers forward Dahntay Jones in a similar incident in the Eastern Conference Finals. The league suspended Jones for one game after he struck Toronto Raptors center Bismack Biyombo in the groin:
Especially with the team down 2-1 in the series, losing Green would've been a big blow for Golden State. According to NBA.com, the Warriors have a 14.7 net rating per 100 possessions this postseason when he's on the floor, compared to a minus-1.2 net rating when he's on the bench.
Green will have to be on his best behavior Tuesday against the Thunder. Since the league upgraded his foul on Adams, one more flagrant foul will result in an automatic one-game suspension.
