Some call him a vocal leader. Some call him a disruptor. And some, just a “dirty” player. Draymond Green might arguably be the most polarizing NBA star of this era. As the playoffs loom closer, his intensity is also going up with each game. It was evident during tonight’s Rockets clash as Green’s controversial antics took center stage while guarding Alperen Sengun.

It happened in the final minute of the opening half. With Sengun shooting lights out in the first half, Green tried every trick in the book to stop him from scoring. During an inbound play, the former DPOY used his physicality to box out the Rockets’ center and elbowed him in the stomach. When the official warned Draymond to tone it down, he seemed frustrated and began chirping at the ref. Then Green shoved Sengun again, this time hitting his neck area. As expected, the official penalized him with a technical foul. But Green seemed unfazed!

Instead of calming down, he began yelling at the ref and clapping aggressively in his direction. Even as the referee walked away from him, the Warriors star continued following him and yelling at his face without the fear of an ejection or a hefty fine. Surprisingly, there was no further penalty for Green’s antics, and he was allowed to stay in the game.

Even the on-air announcers called Draymond out for his questionable act: “He’s just trying to get in Sengun’s head. He knows he can’t guard him to save his life.” The refs’ decision was rather unusual because Green is no stranger to getting tossed from a game. In fact, he has been ejected 22 times in his career, only trailing behind Pistons’ legend Rasheed Wallace, who finished his career with 29 ejections. But tonight, the officials were a bit lenient toward Draymond, and the hoop community was clearly not pleased.

NBA World calls out refs’ bias toward Draymond Green amid stern warning

Soon after the incident, the internet was flooded with comments against Draymond, calling out the officials’ bias. One netizen wrote, “Draymond Green gets such a long rope with the refs unlike any other player in NBA history,” while another said, “Draymond Green is yelling in all these refs faces and they’re just letting him lmao. This is genuinely hilarious to watch.”

One fuming fan even claimed that any other player in Draymond’s place would have been tossed from the game immediately: “Draymond Green has been able to do whatever he wants on the court for 10 years in demonstrative fashion and the refs just go along with it. Dillon Brooks talks just a little bit and he’s getting suspended.”

Earlier this week, Dillon Brooks got penalized with a tech for kicking Collin Sexton in his groin area during a shot attempt. That was his 16 tech of the game, leading to a one-game suspension as per league rules. So, he was forced to sit out Friday’s Thunder clash. However, Draymond’s penalty is only limited to a tech.

Of course, the games are bound to get more intense as the playoffs loom closer because every outcome is crucial for the final seeding. But the fans also warned the refs that things could get ugly for them if they continue going easy on Draymond: “One of these days he’s just gonna body a ref.”

To say that Green gets a long rope with the refs might be an overstatement because he has served multiple suspensions in the past when things have gotten too physical. However, that wasn’t the case tonight. Do you think Draymond should have been ejected?