Boxed out: The damage caused by Draymond Green's ugly punch

He harmed his image as a leader, harmed the team, intimidated himself, but this is much more than just a confrontation in training.

Draymond Green's punch reminded how trivial violence is in the world of sports, as long as it drives business

Paz Hasdai

08/10/2022

Saturday, October 8, 2022, 08:00

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Summary of the day in sports, 7.10 (Sport1)

The first thing that came up after the reports about Draymond Green's punch to Jordan Paul was "professional pranks" in Golden State.

The commentators explained that the conflict was caused by Draymond's "jealousy" of the young player, since both are expecting a new and big contract, which only one of them can get.

For several hours, the center of interest was a professional debate about which of them deserved the new contract and how it would affect the team, but in one moment the discussion was interrupted: the photo was leaked, the video was published, the punch was shown.

Everything is pushed aside, and only the violence remains.

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You know it's "part of the game".

Cold and Green (Photo: Reuters)

Obviously, fights between "friends" of the group are commonplace.

This is something that happens in locker rooms of sports teams, even in the NBA.

Kobe Bryant and Shaquille fought, Gilbert Arenas pulled a gun, Nikola Mirotic was sent to the hospital after a fight with Bobby Portis, and of course Michael Jordan beat Steve Kerr, who is now coaching Golden State, the same Kerr who even said that "as strange as it may sound, This punch freed the whole relationship between us, after that he trusted me more."

But there is a fundamental difference between all the other fights and Draymond's punch: this time the video was released.

This time we saw it happen.

Of course, when Michael Jordan punches it is proof of his level of competitiveness, his tremendous passion and his commitment to victory, and that punch was in fact another essential part of building the mythology around him and around the legendary Chicago.

Of course, many NBA players in the last few days say that this is something very common, and Richard Jefferson for example said that "we are here to do the job, win championships, make money. We are not here to make friends".

Of course, the question is also who are you hitting, and it is interesting what would have happened if Green had hit Steph Curry for example.

But this time it is difficult to divert the discussion, for one simple reason: the video was published, we saw the punch, and it is very ugly.

That's all the difference.

The perspective has changed.

When Michael hits, it's part of the competitive aura around him and the commitment to victory.

Cold (Photo: GettyImages)

It's no wonder that Golden State launched an investigation in an attempt to find out who filmed the clip and leaked it to TMZ, because they also know: this is what differentiates another standard internal conflict, from a serious and serious incident that shocks the audience and demands a response.

It is no longer possible to dismiss the incident and say "we will deal with it internally", because this time the public is asking for answers.

We all saw the angry Green coming towards Paul, Paul filtering something and pushing Green, then the powerful, vengeful, furious punch that knocks his friend to the floor.

And it doesn't matter that after that Paul went back to training, that nothing happened to him, that a few minutes later he was seen smiling in a light shooting practice.

It's a hard punch to accept, and hard to put up with.

Even when we know it's Draymond, a hot-tempered player, wild at times, but important to the system.

Someone who has already been involved in quite a few dirty incidents, but is considered the heart of the Warriors, the connecting link.

Beyond his professional importance (game wisdom, rebounding, defense), he is also a "leader", the player who lights the fire, the living spirit of the team.

He has fought with players in the past, made Kevin Durant leave, maybe cost Golden State a championship when he was ejected from a game in the Finals against Cleveland.

Even Steve Kerr was once seen saying on the bench "I don't have the energy for this Draymond shit anymore".

But as long as the team keeps winning championships, all is forgiven.

Plug your nose and continue.

This time he seems to have crossed the line, even by his standards.

In the USA they enjoyed mentioning how Green himself told in a podcast about how in the training camp before his rookie season, Jordan Paul upset a teammate with his trash talk. Green said that in the team they asked him to calm down "the kid" and shut him up, and he replied: I won't tell him to shut up!

If you can't deal with someone talking trash to you, that's on you.

From that moment, with how he managed to get under the skin of others, I appreciated him.

When you add to that his hard work and his talent, it's a recipe for a player who will be successful in this league." That is, Green is willing to see Paul trash talk, just not about him. Suddenly his leadership is painted in a different light.

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This is beyond a stupid move.

Beyond damaging Draymond's "legacy".

It's not just the matter that now Green has given the Warriors management a point to think about whether they really want to extend his contract.

This is not the only possible damage to the group fabric, with an incident that could cause a real rift.

The thing is the violence.

Here is a dangerous punch to another person's face.

attack.

Green is 32, a veteran and successful athlete, father.

It's a hard punch to digest.

To understand how violent the sports culture is, especially the American one, one can dive into the question among the "experts" whether Green's blow is considered a "sucker punch".

Is she dirty because Paul's hands were not in the air, or is she justified because Paul pushed first.

San Francisco police have already made it clear that they do not intend to investigate the case.

In any normal work environment when a man hits his friend, he is fired.

But the audience should accept such incidents, because it is a sport.

A world full of emotion and emotions, adrenaline, tension.

And this is coming from a veteran athlete, leader, father.

Green (Photo: GettyImages, Elsa)

This is a league where only recently the owner of Phoenix was thrown out because of inappropriate remarks during work.

Anthony Edwards has been fined for a homophobic slur he whispered to himself during an outing.

Boston coach suspended for a year for illicit sex.

Whereas for real, physical violence, a punch to the face, it is doubtful whether the league will respond.

More than that, the audience is expected to put up with it, because that's how young, testosterone-filled men are.

To wait and see how it will affect Golden State, maybe it will get even stronger from it, maybe someday a documentary series will be released about the last season of the dynasty, which started with "The Boxing".

It's all business, a show.

It's not bad that there are beatings, the main thing is that we are waiting for the next episode.

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