The fireworks have been set off right from the get-go in the second-round series between the Golden State Warriors and the Portland Trail Blazers.
In the third quarter of Sunday’s Game 1 victory for the Dubs at Oracle Arena, Blazers swingman Gerald Henderson made contact with Warriors big man Anderson Varejao away from the ball. Varejao responded by kicking his leg up and appearing to intentionally trip Henderson, something Henderson did not respond kindly to as he sprung up and got right in Varejao’s face.
Here is video of the incident:
The two were assessed double technical fouls for the play and were subsequently ejected by official Monty McCutchen after they continued to exchange words from a distance, per Jason Quick of CSNNW.
Double technicals given: Varejao for the leg whip and Henderson for getting in his face
— Jason Quick (@jwquick) May 1, 2016
Wow. Monty McCutchen ejects Gerald Henderson and Anderson Varejao. Varejao was on bench, Henderson on 3-point line when words exchanged
— Jason Quick (@jwquick) May 1, 2016
The Blazers looked overmatched for most of the afternoon, shooting just 40.2 percent from the field as a team and getting outrebounded by a margin of 55-40. But if the underrated “Gerald Henderson vs. the world” subplot can light a fire underneath them for the remainder of the series, more power to them.
Video via NBA Reddit
