Cavaliers Reportedly Wanted Draymond Green Suspended for 2 Games
The Golden State Warriors got a taste of life without Draymond Green in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday, but if the Cleveland Cavaliers had their way, the All-Star forward would be sitting out Thursday's Game 6 as well.
During an episode of The Lowe Post podcast (via Dan Feldman of Pro Basketball Talk), ESPN's Zach Lowe reported the Cavaliers wanted Green to be assessed a flagrant-2 foul for hitting LeBron James in Game 4 last Friday, which would have resulted in a two-game suspension.
Tensions between Green and James have been running high all series. Things culminated late in the fourth quarter of Game 4 when Green hit James in the groin after James stepped over him.
The NBA reviewed the play after the game ended, assessing Green a flagrant-1 foul and James a technical foul for their actions.
NBA Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Kiki VanDeWeghe said in the NBA's press release announcing the punishment (via Sports Illustrated) that "while [Green's] actions in Game 4 do not merit a suspension as a stand-alone act, the number of flagrant points he earned triggers a suspension for Game 5."
As a result of the suspension, Green was not allowed in Oracle Arena on Monday night to watch Game 5. He wound up watching the game from a suite at Oakland Coliseum, where the Oakland Athletics were hosting the Texas Rangers.
The Cavaliers were able to extend the series with a 112-97 victory, as James and Kyrie Irving each scored 41 points.
The Warriors have been virtually unstoppable with Green on the floor. He led the NBA in plus/minus rating in the regular season (plus-1,077) and is leading in the postseason (plus-153), per Sam Amick of USA Today.
The Cavaliers may have tried their best to get Green benched for an additional game, but now they have to focus on controlling things in front of their home crowd. If they don't, they'll watch Golden State celebrate another championship at their expense.
In Green's absence, James and Irving went off to keep Cleveland alive. But in Game 6, the Warriors will have all their rotation players available except for Andrew Bogut. Therefore, they should have confidence to close out their second straight title.
