Draymond Green drags Patty Mills down by the neck in dangerous play

The dangerous foul on Mills was only declared a common foul by the referees at the Kaseya Center in Miami on Wednesday. 

Draymond Green is back on the NBA's bad list this week after taking down Patty Mills by the neck during the Golden State Warriors’ 113-92 win over the Miami Heat on Wednesday. Despite being called a violent play by fans, commentators in the moment, and Mills’ teammates, the foul was ruled a common foul.  

Green takes down Mills 

The Golden State Warriors flew to Miami for a Tuesday night (Wednesday AEDT) match against the Heat as a part of their five-game road trip away from the US’s West Coast. Less than three minutes into this match, Draymond Green got up to his typical antics.  
 
The 4-time All-Star and part time podcaster, put Miami Heat player Patty Mills in a sort of semi-headlock, before dragging the Boomers legend down to the floor by his neck.  
 
“Boy oh boy, did he grab Patty Mills. Looked like by the throat here,” one of the match commentators said immediately after the play. “Yikes. Dangerous play by Green,” added the other broadcaster, after seeing it in a replay. Heat players and fans also made their voice heard in the moment by crowding the referee and taking to social media. 
 
Green, like he typically does, was also barking in the referee’s ear about why he did nothing wrong. The Warriors’ player’s tactics worked and he was only given a common foul, allowing him to play the rest of the match. The Warriors went on to win 113-92. 
 
There has been no news on whether the league will review the play and retroactively punish Green. Given how much leeway the NBA has given him in the past, we wouldn’t expect anything to come from this.

Green ‘declared war on Australia’  

Draymond Green is no stranger to dirty plays. In just the past two seasons, the veteran power forward has come under scrutiny for punching his teammate Jordan Poole, putting the Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert in a headlock, and for striking Jusuf Nurkic of the Suns in the head. Only former Pistons’ player Rasheed Wallace has more ejections in NBA history than Green.  
 
Despite his history, many fans were saying this was one of Green’s worst plays yet. Mostly this is due to Patty Mills’ status in the game. Not only is he one of the greatest basketball players in Australian history, but he’s also one of the most respected players currently playing in the NBA.  
 
“Draymond Green declared war on Australia,” the popular Boomers fan podcast tweeted on Wednesday after Draymond’s foul.  
 
“Draymond Green is indefensible at this point. Patty Mills is one of the nicest dudes in the league,” added Spurs Central, a San Antonio Spurs fan blog. Mills played a significant part of his career in San Antonio.  

Thankfully, Mills was not injured by Draymond Green’s violent play. The 35-year-old is expected to play a big role for the Boomers this summer at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The betting sites have Australia as one of the favourites, just behind Team USA and Canada..