Draymond Green, the fiery Golden State Warriors forward known for his passionate play and occasional on-court outbursts, recently shared a surprising perspective on the Warriors’ 2024-25 postseason elimination. Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live! this week, Green jokingly expressed relief at the team’s playoff exit against the Minnesota Timberwolves, citing his struggle to avoid accumulating technical fouls as a key reason.
Before the 2024-25 NBA season, Green set an ambitious goal for himself: keep his technical fouls under 10, or even as low as eight, as he discussed on his podcast. However, despite his efforts to rein in his emotions, Green finished the regular season with 13 technical fouls. While this marked an improvement from the 17 technicals he received the previous season, it fell short of his personal target.
The postseason proved to be an even tougher challenge for Green. “I actually try not to [get a technical] now, which I’m embarrassed to say,” Green admitted to Kimmel with a laugh. “I went into the playoffs like, ‘I’m not getting any techs. I’m locked in.’ I had five in three games. You only get seven for the playoffs. Thank God we lost.” His tongue-in-cheek comment highlighted the reality that a longer playoff run might have pushed him past the NBA’s seven-technical-foul limit, which triggers an automatic suspension.
Despite the humor, Green was candid about the disappointment of watching the postseason from the sidelines after the Warriors’ elimination. The team had high hopes for a championship run, especially after acquiring star forward Jimmy Butler midseason. However, those aspirations were derailed by a significant setback: a hamstring injury to Stephen Curry, which proved too much for the team to overcome.
Green noted that watching playoff games has been tough, but he continues to tune in for the sake of his podcast, where he provides analysis and commentary. His ability to find a silver lining in the Warriors’ playoff exit—avoiding further technical fouls—shows his knack for blending humor with honesty, even in the face of a challenging season.