After two years of being out of the playoffs, the Golden State Warriors are expecting to return to contention this season. With Stephen Curry coming off a season in which his late-season brilliance won him MVP consideration and Klay Thompson’s eventual return to the lineup after ACL and Achilles injuries sidelined him the previous two seasons, there’s plenty of cause to be optimistic.
Last year also saw the return of Draymond Green, who was seemingly everywhere, all the time on defense, which will be crucial for the Warriors to reclaim their contender position. Green’s worth comes from the way he flies around and covers for other people’s faults, yet this puts him on the verge of losing control. We’ve seen what happens when he loses control on several occasions, and unfortunately for Austin Rivers, it happened on Wednesday night in preseason play between Denver and Golden State when the Nuggets guard suffered a flying knee to the ribs on a closeout from Draymond Green.
This is, I suppose, vintage Draymond, as his proclivity for flailing his legs around became a big deal in 2016 when he was suspended for a game in the Finals for it. But this is Green’s essence: he’s so invested in a preseason game that he can’t help but attempt anything he can to stop Rivers after he realizes it’s a shot fake, even if that means sticking his leg out and kneeing Austin in the ribs.
Rivers would be sidelined for a while, and Green received a rare preseason flagrant for a move that would have been more at home in the Octagon than on the basketball floor. Green’s return to living on the knife’s edge may portend good for the Warriors, but Rivers was the unfortunate receiver of what happens when he goes to the wrong side.
