Watch: Flailing Draymond Green kicks Kyrie Irving during Game 1
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Draymond Green appeared to kick Kyrie Irving toward the end of the first quarter of Warriors’ 104–89 Game 1 win.
Irving was called for a foul on the play after he appeared to grab a piece of Green’s jersey and right shoulder. Green, who may have been selling the play a bit, kicked with his right foot as he fell to the ground and caught the Cavaliers point guard in the chest. It appeared non-malicious, but the Warriors forward’s history of wandering feet made the sequence notable.
Green gained notoriety for his flailing legs during the Western Conference finals, which included a kick to the crotch of Thunder center Steven Adams that was upgraded to a Flagrant 2 after the fact.
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If Green draws another flagrant foul, he will be suspended for one game per league rules.
Watch the play below.
“Tone what down? You think I tried to kick Kyrie? If I was aware of something, I wouldn’t do it,” Green said to reporters after the victory.
#http://www.120sports.com/video/v181767390/warriors-pull-away-in-game-1
Before the game, commissioner Adam Silver told the media he hoped to find a way to discourage players from flailing to sell foul calls.
“It’s not something we want to see,” Silver said, also acknowledging the play involving Green and Adams. He said he recognized Green was attempting to draw contact, though he did not think he meant to deliberately injure Adams in such a way.