Doc Rivers Furious Over Green’s Foul on Giannis: “It’s Absurd”
Doc Rivers explodes after the loss to the Warriors, pointing the finger at a missed flagrant foul by Draymond Green on Giannis Antetokounmpo. A decision that changed the game’s momentum
The Milwaukee Bucks’ road loss on the court of the Golden State Warriors wasn’t just about three-pointers and momentum. In the postgame, the dominant topic became officiating, with Doc Rivers visibly upset over what he described as a whistle that favored the Warriors’ experience and aggressiveness in key moments.
At the center of the controversy was a hard collision between Draymond Green and Giannis Antetokounmpo, never reviewed by the referees for a potential flagrant foul. A choice that raised more than a few doubts on the Bucks’ bench.
Green’s foul on Giannis sparks the protest
The disputed sequence came in the second quarter. After an initial physical exchange away from the basket – where Antetokounmpo was whistled for a foul more than nine meters from the rim – the following play saw Green strike Giannis with an elbow to the face during a layup attempt.
The impact sent the Bucks’ star toward the baseline, but the officials’ decision remained limited to a common foul, with no video review.
A call Rivers struggled to understand:
How do you not review a flagrant foul? It’s absurd. There was contact, it was obvious. And they didn’t even look.
Doc Rivers
The Bucks’ head coach made it clear he wasn’t speaking out of personal dislike – quite the opposite:
I’m a big fan of Draymond Green, precisely because he’s an instigator. But then explain to me why he can yell and gesture at referees with no consequences, while Scoot Porter gets a technical for far less.
Doc Rivers
Bucks’ frustration and the referees’ admission
According to Rivers, the most irritating moment came at halftime, when the referees allegedly admitted the mistake:
They told us, “We missed it, that was a flagrant.” And I ask myself: what were you watching? You called the foul, so you saw something.
Doc Rivers
An admission that didn’t erase the consequences. Antetokounmpo, still visibly tense, was hit with a delay of game, and shortly after committed his third personal foul on a drive by Jimmy Butler III. With Giannis on the bench, Golden State went on an 11-0 run, creating the decisive gap before halftime.
A night that leaves the Bucks not only with a loss, but also with the feeling they were playing against opponents… and the whistles.