“I would have done the same thing” – Shaquille O’Neal and Damian Lillard defend Draymond Green’s VICIOUS KICK on Domantas Sabonis

Shaquille O'Neal and other NBA players react to Draymond Green and Sabonis incident following the Sacramento Kings' Game 2 victory

“I would have done the same thing” – Shaquille O’Neal and Damian Lillard defend Draymond Green’s VICIOUS KICK on Domantas Sabonis

The defending champs, Golden State Warriors are taking on the Sacramento Kings in the first round of the playoffs and things are starting to heat up. After the Game 1 loss, the Dubs looked to strike back, but couldn’t hold off the Kings. Game 2 was in the Kings’ control throughout. Stephen Curry and company struggled from the outside, whereas the Kings maintained this momentum till the buzzer sounded.

Curry led in scoring as he put up 28 points and shot 9 of 21 from the field. On the other hand, De’Aaron Foz and Domantas Sabonis both scored 24 points. The Kings beat the Warriors 114-106, but this win came with a cost of their center leaving the game in the end. As competitive as the game was, it was as physical also.

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With 7 minutes to go in the fourth quarter, Sabonis fell to the floor trying to grab the rebound. What happened next was concerning for Domantas. Sabonis grabbed Draymond’s leg while on the floor. Green trying to get rid of Sabonis’ grip stepped on him and moved ahead. Sabonis was left in pain as Green stepped right onto his ribs.

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The referees assessed the foul as flagrant 2 and Draymond was ejected. This was a crucial point for the Warriors as well as they were only down by 4 at the time. From Green’s reaction, it was a reflex from his side but looked like a harsh altercation to the others. With most of the fans blaming Green for his reaction, Shaquille O’Neal and Damian Lillard took Green’s side on this one.

Shaquille O’Neal and Damian Lillard came in support of Draymond Green’s actions

Stephen Curry (Center)
Stephen Curry (Right)

After the game, Sabonis would get evaluated and undergo an X-Ray. Domantas was hurt pretty hard, though Blazers star Damian Lillard strongly believed that Green’s balance ended up with a step on Sabonis’ torso. Whereas Shaquille O’Neal said, “I’m not gonna sit up here and be a hypocrite, I would have done the same thing, I really would. Don’t be grabbing me because what am I gonna do?”. This incident had the fans wonder if it was an intentional move by Draymond. In the end, the defending champs went down 0-2 in the first round.

The Dubs last trailed a series by 0-2 in the 2007 Conference Semi-Finals versus Utah. Since 2015, the Warriors have made it out of the West each time they’ve played in the Playoffs. After two rough seasons of having their stars mostly out, Golden State proved their worth last year after they won their fourth title in 7 years. However, things seem pretty shaky this postseason.

The Warriors also had to fight hard in the very last games of the regular season to sit at a playoff berth. Now that the next two games are at Chase Center, the Dubs will have to take control of the series. Do you think the Warriors will get through the first round this year or will the Kings shine again after 17 years? Let us know in the comments.

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