“It’s the NBA Finals,” said Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green via ESPN’s Malika Andrews after helping his Dubs rattle the Boston Celtics into committing 18 turnovers on the way to a 107-88 blowout win. “I wear my badge of honor,” he added, referring to how he was called by the referees in his efforts to help force those turnovers.”
“It’s not that I’m saying they necessarily treat me different — I’ve earned differential treatment. I enjoy that. I embrace that,” added Green. It’s safe to say that the Celtics he faced and their fans did not share that sentiment, taking issue in particular with how Green was allowed to seemingly tackle Grant Williams or instigate Jaylen Brown seemingly without consequence.
That the broadcast’s refereeing analyst Steve Javie openly admitted that referees treat some players differently than others based on whether they’d already received a technical foul during the broadcast likely did not help that impression.
The Golden State Warriors dominated the third quarter to tie the series up at 1-1 https://t.co/bb3hEkL6kw
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) June 6, 2022
