Following Draymond Green's chokehold yesterday, Rudy Gobert claimed he knew Green would be ejected simply because Curry wasn't playing.
Draymond Green is a former Defensive Player of the Year and a four-time All-Star. However, he is known for his temper and has been ejected from games multiple times because of the passion and intensity he so often plays with. After the game, Gobert said Draymond will do anything he can to get ejected if Steph isn't playing.
Via Dane Moore on Twitter:
It turns out there's some truth to this statement by Gobert. In fact, according to USA TODAY's Bryan Kalbrosky, seven of Green's last 11 ejections came while Curry wasn't in the game.
In the first instance, Green was ejected from the game against the Utah Jazz on Nov. 11, 2019. Funny enough, Gobert was playing for the Jazz at the time, and the Warriors lost. Next, on Jan. 4, 2020, a similar incident occurred against the Detroit Pistons. Again, Curry was inactive when Green was ejected, and the Warriors lost.
The same thing happened when the Warriors played the Lakers on Feb. 27, 2020, Charlotte on Feb. 20, 2021, the Spurs on March 20, 2022, and against the Pistons on Jan. 4, 2023. Curry was inactive in each of those games, and Green was ejected. All of these resulted in losses for Golden State, by the way.
Could Draymond's outbursts be frustration due to the Warriors' recent offensive struggles and Curry not being on the court? The Warriors have lost four straight games. Their last victory came against the Detroit Pistons, which isn't really saying much given their own nine-game losing streak.
No matter what the reason is for the Warriors' woes, Draymond's outburst is representative of how many Warriors fans are feeling right now — frustrated, tired, and defensive. Hopefully, Draymond and the Warriors will be able to rebound quickly before things get out of hand. It remains to be seen whether Draymond will be suspended or for how long.
