Despite their 1-0 series lead, the Warriors headed into tonight’s Wolves clash with a massive disadvantage. That’s because they had no Stephen Curry—sidelined for at least a week with a hamstring strain. So, they needed the rest of the team to bring their A game and not commit any careless mistakes. Unfortunately, Draymond Green’s emotions did not allow him to stick to the plan. And Steph was left with no choice but to intervene.

It happened in the opening minutes of the second quarter. With his team trailing by 16 points, Draymond caught the ball outside the three-point line, trying to generate offense. He was being guarded closely by Naz Reid, who committed a foul by hitting his arm while going for a steal.

But what caught everyone’s attention was Green’s reaction to it. The former DPOY flailed his arms to sell the foul and hit Reid with a nasty elbow to the face. Official Tony Brothers immediately headed to the monitor to review the play.

Replay showed Draymond putting a little extra into his reaction, and he was penalized with a dead ball technical foul. As expected, the Warriors veteran was not pleased with the call and got into an official’s face and started yelling at him.

Draymond Green was fired up—and not in a good way. Cameras caught him yelling “F—ing bull—-” toward the official, needing to be physically separated before things escalated into a second technical.

All the while, he kept mockingly pointing at the refs, throwing exaggerated gestures to make sure they felt every ounce of his frustration. It was classic Draymond: passion overflowing, emotions boiling, and toeing the line between fiery leadership and costly outburst.

And Steph, who was on the bench, tried calming Draymond down by talking to him. The on-air announcers even pointed it out on Live TV, “Steph Curry now trying to calm him down. Draymond making his case which Steph understands.”

Well, Steph likely took matters into his own hands because a second tech would get Draymond ejected from the game. And the Warriors could not afford to lose another player down sixteen. Moreover, this was his fifth tech of these playoffs.

Two more and Green will receive a one-game suspension, per league rules. He also has two prior flagrant fouls. Two more of that and it also leads to a one-game suspension. So, Warriors need to make sure Draymond keeps his emotions in check going forward.

Steve Kerr’s smart move avoids potential Draymond Green ejection as broadcaster gives key advice

Even after Steph stepped in and gave Draymond a piece of his mind, the veteran forward was adamant on confronting the officials and making his case. Sure enough, Wolves fans were not pleased with his antics and began urging the officials to hand him another tech and toss him from the game. Realizing the risk, Steve Kerr made a smart move. He immediately subbed out Draymond and sent in Jimmy Butler to replace him.

That would give Green some time to calm down on the Warriors’ bench while Butler took care of business on the court. As the former DPOY headed to the bench, on-air broadcaster—Steph Van Gundy advised him to go to the locker room, “They are down 16 right now. They cannot afford another technical on him… I’m not sure he shouldn’t just go to the locker room and calm down a little bit and then get himself under control and come back. They need him.”

Yes, the Warriors were already having a tough time containing the Wolves’ offense. Losing Draymond due to an ejection would leave a massive void in their defense, making a comeback nearly impossible. Hopefully, Green will understand the high stakes and keep his emotions in check when he checks back in. Do you think he can do it?