Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green reacts after being hurt during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023, in Cleveland.
Ron Schwane/AP
Warriors veteran Draymond Green was once again involved in a below-the-belt incident while playing in Cleveland against the Cavaliers on Sunday.
However, unlike in the 2016 NBA Finals, Green was the victim this time around in the 114-105 loss. Early in the first quarter, Cavs center Jarrett Allen kicked the Dubs forward in the groin while trying to go after a rebound in the air, although Allen didn’t exactly look like he was going for the ball all that much.
A slow-motion replay of the incident shows Allen pulling on Green’s arm, and kicking up his right leg particularly high, while jumping in the general direction of the ball. There was no foul called, and no replay review. The only reason play stopped was because Cavs forward Evan Mobley fouled Andrew Wiggins.
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Many basketball fans that saw the play attributed the incident to karmic justice, since Green has developed a bit of a reputation for those kinds of moves — just ask Steven Adams. That being said, when Green did that to Adams, he was called for a Flagrant 1 foul, which was later upgraded to a Flagrant 2. In the 2016 Finals, when he swiped at LeBron James’ groin, he was suspended for a game. No such thing happened to Allen.
Green naturally noticed this and posted about it on his Instagram. He captioned the slow-motion replay of his groin shot with, “The Draymond Green Rule is only a rule when Draymond Green is delivering … cool,” featuring a smiling and smirking emoji.
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If this is the beginning of a trend where Green is getting his comeuppance for the various blows he’s delivered to opposing players, he might consider wearing a cup and a chest plate from here on out.
