Warriors’ Green says he ‘deserved to be ejected’

Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green on Thursday lamented being ejected again, this time less than four minutes into the game, in the win over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night.

“It just can’t happen,” Green said on “The Draymond Green Show” podcast Thursday. “I said what I said. I deserved to be kicked out at that moment. If I’m completely honest with all of you, I was trying to turn my body and lean it to go to the bench, but I said what I said too soon before I leaned my body. But yeah, it just can’t happen.”

Green had been speaking with official Ray Acosta after his first personal foul was called. A few plays later, after Stephen Curry was called for a foul on a shot, Green walked up to Acosta and started yelling at him. Acosta gave him a technical foul, and when Green didn’t stop, Acosta gave him another, ending his night at 8:24 of the first quarter.

It was the fourth ejection of the season, the most in Green’s career, and the second in the first quarter. He is the first player to be ejected at least four times in a season since Kevin Durant was ejected five times in 2017-18.

It was also the 19th ejection of Green’s career in the regular season, the second-most in NBA history over the past 25 seasons behind Rasheed Wallace (25).

“I’m not going to overreact, like ‘Oh man!'” Green said on his podcast. “Things are never as good as they seem; they’re never as bad as they seem. I know where I am. I understand what I’m doing moving forward. And my position is just to make sure that’s the exception and not the exception.” ruler.”