Draymond Green kicks James Harden in the face, earns Flagrant 1 foul
Warriors forward Draymond Green continued to make noise with his flailing leg on Thursday night, earning a Flagrant 1 foul for hitting James Harden in the face with his foot in a 132–127 double-OT loss to the Rockets.
Green, who was assessed a Flagrant 1 for kicking Steven Adams in the groin during last year’s Western Conference Finals, swung his leg up a he fought for a rebound during the second overtime and nailed Harden in the face with his heel on the way down. After a review, officials determined that the foul was flagrant.
The NBA league office officially described it as an “unnatural leg extension.”
After the game, Green claimed that the contact was incidental, and should not have warranted a flagrant.
“The thought that would be a flagrant never crossed my mind,” Green told reporters. “I thought there were other calls that could’ve been called flagrant, too. So I’m under the impression that if you’re hit in the head, incidental contact, that’s a flagrant if I’m not mistaken. In the rule book. Maybe I’ll go read the rule book. Maybe I’m wrong. But if I’m not mistaken, I’m right.”
He then seemed to imply that officials made the call based on his reputation.
“They going to do what they want to do,” Green said. “Ain’t got nothing to do with me. I don’t control what them people do. Whatever they decide is what they decide.”
The foul sent Harden to the line for two free throws, which he hit to widen Houston’s lead.
It was Green’s first flagrant of the year. Last postseason, he managed to accumulate enough points to earn a one-game suspension in the NBA Finals after swinging his arm and hitting LeBron James between the legs.
Green was also given a technical earlier in the game for arguing a call.
– Kenny Ducey
