During the Golden State Warriors victory against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, Draymond Green found himself embroiled in a dispute with the game officials. He believes he was struck in the face by Austin Reaves as the Lakers guard went up for a layup in the third quarter.
During his postgame media availability, Green risked a fine from the league when discussing the incident. He that he believes there’s a double standard in these situations, and that he is penalized harsher than other players in the NBA.
“I hit somebody in the face, I get thrown under the jail. When I get hit, we don’t see it,” Green said. “When I blow my breath on someone, they’re reviewing it for a flagrant foul.”
Green has served two suspensions this season and received 10 technical fouls. He has a reputation for playing jump rope with the line of fair play and being overly physical. As such, game officials are likely to be harsher with him as they look to keep his distractions to a minimum and keep control of the game.
"I hit somebody in the face, I get thrown under the jail. When I get hit, we don't see it."
Draymond voices frustrations with officiating inconsistencies 👀 pic.twitter.com/N4apegJW5n
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 10, 2024
Nevertheless, Green calling for parity in how fouls are called is fair. The rules must be the same for both sides. However, with his reputation and recent history, he is unlikely to get the benefit of the doubt in any 50/50 situation. That doesn’t mean other players around him will not get that courtesy, though.
