Ahead of Game 3 of the Golden State Warriors' NBA playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Golden State forward Draymond Green raised eyebrows by calling out a serious narrative against him.
After a tumultuous Game 2 that included Green receiving a controversial technical foul and ugly verbal abuse from a Minnesota fan, he spoke out about those who paint him as an "angry Black man."
Fast forward to Game 3, and Green was once again in the spotlight as he played with the jeopardy of knowing his next technical foul would earn him a one-game suspension.
Missing a future game proved to be the least of his worries, as Green fouled out with 4:38 left in the fourth quarter and the Timberwolves up 84-82. He finished the 102-97 Game 3 loss with two points and five turnovers in 29 minutes played.
Green was officiated tightly by crew chief Scott Foster, who earned backlash for the way he refereed the Warriors star — especially after a controversial call involving Timberwolves forward Julius Randle.
Green was whistled for a blocking foul, his fourth personal foul of the game. It was upheld after Steve Kerr challenged Foster's call, leaving the Warriors without a challenge to try to keep Green on the court later in the game.
"Scott Foster looked at that and called a foul on Draymond," said a fan in disbelief. "That was unreal."
"It’s time for the NBA get Scott Foster out the league cuz he’s clearly has grudges against players," echoed one fan. "No way he looked at that play and thought it was a foul on Draymond instead of a charge on Randle."
"Scott Foster trying to do everything he could to bait Draymond into getting that T!" noticed another user on X, adding to the debate over the treatment of Green.
"Scott Foster has it out for Draymond Green," said an X user. "Thats 2 calls now that he’s made against him. If this doesn’t get overturned they have something against him."
The Warriors were up 53-50 when Green picked up his fourth foul. Already playing without star guard Stephen Curry, Golden State struggled without its defensive leader for most of the second half.
There's no doubt the tight calls on Green played a role in the Warriors' loss — one that will be difficult for fans to reckon with heading into Game 4.
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