Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green wanted someone on the Knicks to risk at least an ejection to defend Jalen Brunson after Spurs star Victor Wembanyama shoved the New York guard in the back of the head.

While the Golden State enforcer has thoroughly enjoyed the physicality of these NBA Finals so far, he was disappointed by the way New York handled that part of the game during the Knicks’ Game 3 loss in the NBA Finals on Monday. For two straight games, Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns kept Wembanyama in check, somehow dwarfing the impact of the 7-foot-4 Frenchman. The frustration of that experience seemed to boil over in the first quarter of Monday’s game when the Spurs center used his impossibly long arms to throw Brunson, who was setting a pick at the time, off him. 

Officials did not blow a whistle for this incident, despite the loud protests from the Madison Square Garden crowd. The NBA even reviewed the incident and determined that the uncalled foul would not be upgraded to a flagrant.

As the online masses debate whether the NBA is letting its new golden boy get away with an on-court assault, Green is focused on another issue: the fact that nobody on the Knicks stepped up to retaliate against Wembanyama. When Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor asked the Warriors forward what he would have done in that situation if it had happened to Steph Curry, Green took no time to respond.

“I’m probably going to get thrown out right there,” he said. “And it may cost us Game 3.”

Green then called out Knicks forward Josh Hart for only responding with a “Yo!” and making no attempt to “make something happen.” By doing nothing, Wembanyama’s act changed how the Spurs perceived the Knicks as a team, according to Green.

“One thing you gotta understand, Kevin: When we’re out there on that floor, all it takes is one small thing for me to grab a hold to and say, ‘Oh. Ooh. I can do something with that. I can play at this. Oh man, they ain’t as together as I thought they were,’” he said.

“In turn, you talk about the officiating, you’re giving those guys an out to not own not showing up aggressive as they needed to show up,” Green said.

If there’s anyone who knows the importance of being physical in the finals, it’s Green. But no one should understand the consequences of that physicality better than he does, either. If Hart did respond during the Wemby-Brunson incident the way Green would have, there’s no guarantee the punishment would be limited to a single-game ejection. And then what? The Knicks lose a key member of their starting lineup all for the sake of an intangible mental edge?

That doesn’t seem like the best advice, but it wouldn’t be the first time that Green misjudged the cost of being overly physical in the NBA Finals.