The Golden State Warriors stole Game 1 against the Memphis Grizzlies.
The 117-116 win was even more impressive when you consider that Draymond Green was ejected in the second quarter.
Green was accessed a Flagrant Four 2 when he prevented Brandon Clarke from completing an easy layup.
Green clearly grabbed Clark and made contact to his face. He also tried to hold Clark hope so he wouldn’t fall hard to the ground. That’s something no NBA player in the 1980s would’ve done. That was an era of the no-free-layups.
The NBA used to have an unwritten rule about playoff fouls. Similar to the NHL, the NBA generally let the game be more physical in the playoffs to allow the skill of the teams determine who wins the series.
NBA fans were robbed of that yesterday with the Green ejection. It’s not mid-December. No one would’ve blinked if Green was sent to the locker room.
But to impact a playoff game with this nonsense is bad for the league. There was no intent. There was no hard fall to the floor.
There was just a hard foul that involved Draymond Green. That was enough to justify a terrible call by the referees.
