Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
Draymond Green Explains Middle Fingers to Memphis Fans After Elbow to the Face
It doesn’t take a lot to realize Draymond Green is public enemy No. 1 in Memphis.
After taking a shot to the face while fighting for a loose ball in the first quarter of Game 2, Draymond Green responded to an arena full of boos as he walked to the Golden State Warriors’ locker room.
How did Draymond respond, you ask? With a pair of middle fingers for the Grizzlies crowd as he disappeared into the tunnel to receive stitches for a gashed eye.
“You’re going to boo someone who just got elbowed in the eye and their face has running down blood, you should get flipped off,” Green said. “It felt really good to flip them off.”
Memphis’ distaste for Green stems from Game 1 when the Warriors star was assessed a flagrant 2 after hitting Grizzlies big-man Brandon Clarke in the head and then dragging him to the ground by the jersey.
While Green and the rest of the Golden State roster laughed at the foul, questioning the validity of its assessment, fans in Memphis clearly didn’t see things through the same lens.
While chasing down a loose ball, Green took an elbow to the face from Memphis power forward Xavier Tillman. After hitting the floor, Green’s eye was clearly gashed and required the Michigan State product to retreat to the locker room for further treatment.
“You’re going to boo someone that gets elbowed in the eye and has blood running down their face?” Green said. “I could have had a concussion or anything.”
Green did, however, pass concussion protocol and received stitches for the wound. But first, he had to respond to the litany of boos he received on his way off the floor by way of two birds, just for Grizzlies fans.
Of course, Green expects to be fined for this move, but to him, it was well worth it.
“If they’re going to be that nasty, I can be nasty, too,” He said. “I’m assuming the cheers were because they know I’ll get fined. Great, I make $25 million a year, I should be just fine.”
