May 9 (UPI) -- Draymond Green said he is sick of a perceived "agenda" to make him "look like an angry Black man" after he earned his fifth technical foul of the playoffs in a Golden State Warriors loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Green made the comments in the locker room about receiving the foul 8:46 before halftime of the 117-93 setback in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals Thursday in Minneapolis.
"Looked like the angry Black man," Green told reporters. "I'm not an angry Black man. I am a very successful, educated Black man with a great family, and I am great at basketball and I'm great at what I do.
"The agenda to try to keep making me look like an angry Black man is crazy. I'm sick of it. It's ridiculous."
Green was boxing out Timberwolves forward Naz Reid during a Warriors possession at the time of his latest incident. He caught a pass as Reid reached in with his right arm and picked up a foul. Green then flailed his arms, hitting Reid in the face and knocking him to the floor.
Officials reviewed the play and gave Green a technical. Warriors coach Steve Kerr took Green out of the game in an attempt to calm him.
With two more technical fouls this postseason, Green would receive a one-game suspension.
"I could see he had gotten getting pretty upset and I just didn't want him to get another technical, so I took him out at that point," Kerr said of Green.
"I know he is going to have to be careful now. He is going to have to stay composed. Obviously, we need him. I'm confident that he will because he knows the circumstances."
Green is the only NBA player to receive more than 20 technical fouls in a season over the last six years. He totaled 163 regular-season technical fouls over his 13-year career.
Green also tied his career-high with 3.2 personal fouls per game this season. For his career, Green has averaged about one more foul per game in the playoffs (3.8) compared to the regular season (2.9). He ranked inside the Top 10 in personal fouls in four of the last 11 seasons.
That data and previous other incidents involving Green -- including when he was filmed punching former teammate Jordan Poole in the face during a 2022 practice -- is part of his history and seemingly contributes to perception of him by referees and fans.
"It's part of Draymond," Kerr said. "It's the same thing that makes him such a competitor and a winner, puts him over the top sometimes, and we know that and it's our job to try to help him stay poised, stay composed.
"But the competition is so meaningful to him that occasionally he goes over the line."
Warriors guard Stephen Curry, who is out with a hamstring injury, and forward Jimmy Butler each attempted to calm Green when he confronted referees after he received his technical foul.
Butler told reporters in postgame comments that Green doesn't need him for advice about the situation and knows how important he is to the team.
"I thought he got fouled and was maybe trying to sell the call," Butler said. "Someone got hit, but it's crazy. Every time he does something, it's always a review and always ends up being something of that nature."
Green totaled nine points, five assists and four rebounds. Butler totaled 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Forward Jonathan Kuminga scored 18 points off the Warriors bench.
Timberwolves forward Julius Randle totaled a game-high 24 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds.
All-Star guard Anthony Edwards chipped in 20 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three steals in the victory. Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 20 points off the Timberwolves bench.
The Warriors will host the Timberwolves in Game 3 at 8:30 p.m. EDT Saturday in San Francisco. The best-of-seven series is tied 1-1.
