There was just over a minute left of the second period and Memphis led 54-53 when Green stopped a layup from Memphis Brandon Clarke, came to his face and pulled him in the tank top.
Green tried to keep Clarke upright but he fell to the floor and lay on his stomach.
The judges watched video awards while the audience shouted: "Throw him out".
The referee base explained that the foul was obvious (Flagrant 2) and that Green was aggressive and that the expulsion was therefore correct, something that was discussed lively in ESPN's studio broadcast.
"We were all shocked"
After the expulsion, Green ran around the hall and greeted fans and teammates in elated ways.
- It was a tough decision that did not go our way and we were all shocked by the decision but we were confident and determined and the guys found themselves in it, says Warrios coach Steve Kerr according to AP.
An important player for the victory was the bench player Jordan Poole who scored 31 points.
He outshined superstar Stephen Curry who scored 24 points.
- It means so much to have a second game distributor next to Steph, Kerr says according to the NBA.
The second quarterfinal is also played in Memphis, the night before Wednesday, in the best of the seven-series.