The Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies were set to square off for Game 2 of their second-round series on Tuesday, but within minutes, both sides had lost a major contributor. Grizzlies wing Dillon Brooks was quickly knocked out of the game after committing a Flagrant 2 foul on Warriors guard Gary Payton II. Draymond Green knows the feeling. A Flagrant 2 knocked him out of Game 1 of this series on Sunday.
But on Tuesday, Green left the floor for a different reason. After getting elbowed in the head by Grizzlies big man Xavier Tillman, Green needed to return to the locker room to get checked out.
However, the story of the moment was not the elbow itself. No, Green turned a single, ugly play into a much bigger deal when he gave fans in Memphis both middle fingers as he exited the court.
Green has some existing beef with Memphis fans after his Game 1 ejection. As the officials reviewed the play that ended his night, fans at the FedEx Forum chanted “throw him out” at Green. The officials did throw Green out, but the Grizzlies still couldn’t stop the Warriors from taking a 1-0 lead in the series.
The NBA does not condone players giving fans the middle finger. In the first round, Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving was fined $50,000 for directing the same gesture at Boston Celtics fans. Green has a history of being disciplined for the league for his on-court actions, including an infamous suspension for Game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals. The middle finger won’t earn him a suspension, but a fine is almost certainly coming his way later in the week.
