“Green is not Bird, Magic, Jordan… But Draymond Green is one of the two or three most identifiable players in the NBA Finals” - Doug Gottlieb says it’s harder for Draymond to foul out compared to a Payton Pritchard

Game 2 of the NBA Finals ended on Sunday (5 June) night, but Draymond Green continues to be a buzzword among most basketball analysts. The Golden State Warriors forward was controversially involved in two scuffles against the Boston Celtics but wasn’t ejected from the game.

Veteran sports analyst Doug Gottlieb, unlike many fans, had no issue with the referees’ call not to give Green a second technical foul. On his podcast, the Fox Sports host emphasized that there’s a pecking order in how officials treat NBA players.

Here’s how Gottlieb elaborated on his thoughts on why Draymond Green got a longer leash than some of the players in the NBA Finals:

“I could lecture you on how Jordan never fouled out, or Magic never fouled out, or Bird never fouled out, but I would also concede Draymond Green is not Bird, Magic, Jordan…”

He added:

“You call the initial technical early in the game, oftentimes, to settle things down… It’s not just Draymond-specific but that first T wasn’t necessarily earned and then the second T is much, much harder to get.”

Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson were three of the biggest stars in the NBA in the 80s and 90s. While it’s incorrect that they never fouled out, the point Gottlieb was trying to establish was very clear. Superstars get more leeway when it comes to fouls in the NBA.

He explained why that has always been the case in the NBA and in most pro sports:

“It’s what reality TV should really strive to be and within it, you want your star players to be about, you want your star players to be in it … You don’t have to like Draymond Green but Draymond Green is one of the two or three most identifiable players in the NBA Finals.”

The bottom line is that the NBA is a sports entity but also a business venture that relies on superstars to bring in revenue. It’s for this reason that referees have always been hesitant to foul out the likes of Jordan, Bird and Johnson.

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Referees will always give differential treatment to superstars like Steph Curry, Jayson Tatum and Draymond Green

NBA superstars enjoy differential treatment by game officials. [Photo: San Francisco Chronicle]

Basketball fans come to NBA games to see their favorite players perform. More often than not, these players happen to be the All-Stars and the biggest draw in any particular game.

In this year’s championship series, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Jayson Tatum and Draymond Green belong in that category. They will be the hardest to foul out or get ejected. On this, Gottlieb said:

“I don’t think Draymond deserves carte blanche. He can’t just run down the court giving the middle finger to the other team, grabbing his junk, throwing elbows, punching other dude[s], but within the bounds of reason, it’s gonna be a lot harder for him to foul out than it is for Gary Payton, than it is for Payton Pritchard.”

He added:

“There is a pecking order, there is a totem pole and Draymond Green may not be on top of the totem pole, that would be reserved for Steph Curry, a Jayson Tatum, but just a notch below, he’s right there…”

Gottlieb concluded:

“It’s smart, it’s sound business, it’s better for the sport, it’s better for the viewers. If you don’t like it, you’re gonna have a tough time.”

It may seem unfair, but Gottlieb's analysis may just have some truth within it. The NBA has been operating that way with its superstars and will continue to do so moving forward. It will be up to the teams and the players to adjust to how the referees conduct their business.