The Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Denver Nuggets on Monday night to take a 2-0 series lead in the Western Conference semifinals. But one of the biggest stories from the game wasn’t the Timberwolves’ shocking dominance of the defending NBA champs, but rather Nuggets star Jamal Murray seemingly throwing his heating pad on the court in the direction of official Marc Davis.
While everyone — except perhaps Timberwolves fans — would prefer to see the best players on both teams on the court, the reality is that the league will take Murray’s actions seriously. And it would hardly be a surprise to see him face a suspension as the best-of-seven series shifts back to Minnesota for Games 3 and 4.
Murray’s actions and the potential suspension he might face was unsurprisingly one of the primary talking points for sports debate shows on Tuesday morning. But perhaps the most unsurprising take regarding the matter came from Draymond Green, with the Golden State Warriors star taking issue with those calling for Murray to be suspended.
“I was just online and I see people are like, ‘Oh Jamal Murray’s probably going to get suspended for throwing the heat pack,'” Green said on The Draymond Green Show. “I mean I didn’t think he’d get suspended, although that was very dangerous. Somebody steps on that, A, it leaves a wet spot. B, it can really jack somebody up. But I didn’t see that and be like — my first thought wasn’t, ‘Ah, he’ll get suspended.’
“It’s crazy how people just automatically start calling for suspensions these days. I just don’t really understand that. But in saying that — man, Denver’s down bad right now.”
Green’s take is hardly surprising, as arguably no player in NBA history is more synonymous with suspensions than he is. The 2017 NBA Defensive Player of the Year has been suspended a total of six times in his career, including for Game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals following an accumulation of flagrant fouls.
Green’s point regarding Murray, however, misses the mark as most don’t seem to be rooting for a suspension — rather, they’re just acknowledging that one is possible, if not likely. To the 4-time All-Star’s point, Murray’s actions were reckless and could have resulted in a serious injury, which is surely something NBA commissioner Adam Silver will weigh when making his decision.
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith said as much as he shared his own reaction to Green’s reaction.
“I hope that he isn’t suspended because I’m very fond of Jamal Murray. But that’s not what this is about,” Smith said on First Take. “This is about the fact that he committed an act that even Draymond Green himself concedes could have been very very dangerous. That warrants a suspension for a game or at the very least, a very very stiff fine.
“Now I could understand Draymond Green, that not coming to his mind. Why would it? Of course you would feel that way. You’re a player first of all, a champion second of all, but third and most importantly, you’ve had your share of suspensions. And some you might have deemed unfair. So of course you would feel that way. But that’s why you have neutral eyes looking at this.”
.@stephenasmith reacts to Draymond Green's comments about Jamal Murray throwing a heating pad in Game 2. pic.twitter.com/wXeWDploVx
— First Take (@FirstTake) May 7, 2024
As Green’s playing career begins to morph into his media career, some of his habits as an analyst are becoming apparent. And it’s a safe bet that when it comes to discussing potential suspensions, the 4-time NBA champion will take an approach through the prism of his own experiences.