Draymond Green stole the show in the Warriors’ home game against the Magic on Monday. Unfortunately, it wasn’t because of his on-court performance. Instead, it was his reaction to head coach Steve Kerr’s criticism during a timeout in the third quarter that drew attention.
Green was seen storming off to the dressing room. Following that, he sat out the remaining 20 minutes of Golden State’s 120-97 victory. He later admitted that tempers had flared and that it was best for him to sit out, while Kerr revealed that he would not have turned to his otherwise trusted forward even if he had remained on the bench.
Now, leaked audio from the game has shed light on what exactly happened and what caused the strong bond between Kerr and Green to hit a rare moment of tension.
Kerr was simply not happy with how Draymond was playing. On top of that, he kept arguing with the referees, which could have led to a technical foul for the Warriors man — possibly even another ejection. So, Kerr, after calling a timeout, decided to call Green out.
“F*** you,” was Green’s response, and Kerr decided to stand up for himself.
“If you don’t want me to talk to you, go home,” the four-time NBA winning head coach fired back, and that’s when the rest of the Warriors players decided that things were getting out of hand. Moses Moody stepped in and tried to calm the situation down.
Kerr hadn’t given up on Green just yet, but the four-time All-Star was still livid. “How am I supposed to coach you?” Kerr asked. Eventually, he decided not to play Green again in the game, and that proved to be the final straw. Green got up and disappeared into the tunnel.
In all honesty, in that moment, it was probably best that Green left. He isn’t known for being a particularly composed figure when heated. He could have said or done something that might have warranted internal discipline from the Warriors organization.
As Green admitted later in his post-game press conference, basketball is an emotional game. Things happen, but everyone moves on. This incident is unlikely to leave a lasting dent in his relationship with Kerr.