As always, the matchup between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Golden State Warriors didn’t come without tension. In particular, the last quarter is where things boiled over. Steve Kerr yelled at the referees. Draymond Green, the forward often questioned for his antics received a double technical within 30 seconds for arguing with the referees. The 34-year-old didn’t think much of it. “I don’t need an explanation. I did my job,” he said in his reaction. But that wasn’t before he allegedly said “f**k you” to the officials.

In the case of the former Defensive Player of The Year, however, such escalated interactions have become a common theme. Green plays with immense emotions and passion. At times those overflow into anger. Yet, one can’t help but think there has to be more to it. And there is. Draymond Green welcomes such heated interactions due to the rules of his favorite sport.

The Warriors veteran is a huge ice hockey fan.

After the game, the four-time All-Star raved about his favorite player, San Jose Sharks’ teenage sensation Macklin Celebrini. Coming from the Univeristy of Michigan, a pristine Ice Hockey powerhouse, Green spoke about the sport passionately. But another aspect that appeals to him is hockey’s encouragement to brawl.

“That’s a sport that is big in Michigan. And so I love hockey and then they can fight and you know sit down for five minutes. We say something we got to sit down for the rest of the game,” Draymond Green admitted while taking jabs of the officials.

Keeping sarcasm on hold, the defensive forward explained how he finds hockey to be a lot similar to basketball and that he learns while observing. “If you watch the puck movement it’s just like ball movement. You got guys cutting into spaces like it actually compares. When you start watching like hockey and basketball and soccer, they are actually very similar in the movement,” said Green.

Draymond Green and the Warriors avoid a disaster

The game between the Warriors and the Grizzlies nearly turned into a classic. The Bay led by 21 in the fourth quarter. And then the ripple began. The Grizzlies marched back quickly and discord began to set. Frustrations loomed heavily as Steve Kerr also received a technical for his aggressive reaction to a foul call.

And after the game, the animated coach wasn’t finished. If not for Gary Payton II and Moses Moody, Kerr would have marched on toward the referees in a manner that can’t be described as peaceful.

But he also didn’t like the way the Warriors played during the final 12 minutes. “The last quarter, the last half was disgusting. I felt bad for our fans having to watch that – what transpired,” Kerr said. The Warriors, who didn’t feature Stephen Curry at all in the fourth nearly lost their footing.

However, they were able to hold their nerves in the end despite the dramatics. Improving to 10-2, they won by a margin of just 5 points. Buddy Hield was their most prolific scorer on the night, scoring 18 off the bench, including 4-8 from three. Draymond Green played his role as the facilitator, adding 13 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists before his ejection.

Despite the discomfort the Warriors went through, what will matter to them is they finished the job and notched their second win in the NBA Cup.