NBA players are interacting with fans more than ever before, but the times that get publicity aren't the kinds of interactions the league wants.
The Warriors' Draymond Green added to the list of hostile player-crowd exchanges in Memphis Tuesday, flipping off the Memphis crowd as he left the floor in the first quarter of Game 2 after getting elbowed in the face by the Grizzlies' Xavier Tillman.
Green, who was ejected in Game 1 after hitting Memphis' Brandon Clarke in the face, returned to the game in the second quarter with stitches over his right eye.
Draymond gets elbowed across the face.#NBAPlayoffs #NBA #Green #Elbow pic.twitter.com/cM8DoxBVlb
— Basketball Craze (@bball_craze) May 4, 2022
Green spoke on the gesture after the game, saying he "should be just fine."
"You're gonna boo somebody who gets elbowed in the eye or face, running down blood, you should get flipped off," Green said. "So I'll take the fine, I'll go do an appearance and make up the money. But it felt really good to flip them off. You're gonna boo someone who gets elbowed in the eye and blood running down your face? I could've had a concussion or anything."
MORE: Morant shares milestone with Kobe and LeBron
Green went on to say the crowd reaction was uncalled for and he was responding to the crowd's energy.
"So if they're gonna be that nasty I'll be that nasty too. And I'm assuming the cheers was because they know I'll get fined. Great, I make $25 million a year, I should be just fine."
The series has been chippy to this point, with the Warriors also losing Gary Payton II to a fractured left elbow after a hard foul from Dillon Brooks.
Prayers up for @Garydwayne 🙏🏻🙏🏻
— Basketball Craze (@bball_craze) May 4, 2022
He takes a hard fall after a dirty foul from Dillon Brooks. Brooks was assessed a Fagrant 2 and ejected from the game.#NBAPlayoffs #Payton #Brooks #Dirty #DubNation #Ejected pic.twitter.com/POJ9w0sbFG
Though Brooks was ejected with a flagrant foul-2 for the play, Steve Kerr had seen enough after the game as the series heads to San Francisco tied 1-1.
"That wasn’t physical, that was dirty," he said, per USA Today. "Gary is at the hospital getting X-rays or somewhere back here. Draymond (Green) is getting stitches."
MORE: How Steve Kerr reacted to controversial play by Dillon Brooks
Green has been outspoken this postseason about everything from officiating to his opponents, with podcasts serving as his platform. He'll undoubtedly have plenty to say about the Grizzlies as this series unfolds, but in the meantime it doesn't look like the Western Conference Semifinals are going to die down in intensity any time soon.
