Draymond Green Suspension Another Roadblock to History
By Wes Ying
Draymond Green was levied a Flagrant One foul in Game Four of the NBA Finals for his altercation with LeBron James and will be suspended for Monday night’s Game Five tilt.
The NBA lowered the boom on the Golden State Warriors and Draymond Green Sunday morning, and to many in the Warriors organization, the decision was expected. The incident occurred late in the fourth quarter when James and Green got tangled up near mid-court.
After the play was over, James, most likely in an effort to provoke a reaction, stepped over Green, who was on the ground. Green took exception and sent a fist near James’ man region. In a postseason filled with debate over whether Green kicks or punches on purpose towards his opponent’s private areas, it finally caught up to Green and the Warriors.
Golden State Warriors
Green, of course, has been skating on thin ice with the league office since Game Three of the Western Conference Finals, where he sent a flying kick to Steven Adam’s sensitive area. He escaped a suspension then, much to the chagrin of many in the public and around the league.
There was no eluding this incident and many will see it as justice being served. In his post-game press conference, James seemed to push for the league to take action after being showed the replay after the game. Apparently, the league listened.
Regardless, the Warriors are presented with another obstacle standing in front of their end goal. In a postseason filled with them, this may be their last big challenge.
Just as they did when Stephen Curry sat out parts of at least six playoff games in the first two rounds, it was the next man up who had to step up. Shaun Livingston more than held his own during Curry’s absence, and Klay Thompson picked up a lot of the scoring slack.
With Green and his versatility, it will have to be a next man up by committee. Without a doubt, the Warriors will have to commit themselves even harder to rebounding, most notably offensive rebounding. Green is so vital to the Warriors’ success because he rebounds so well as a small center. Without his energy cleaning the boards, the Warriors’ “Death Lineup” would not be as vaunted.
The Warriors have shown that when committed, they are effective at team rebounding. Curry, Thompson and company will have bring a greater intensity to rebound from the backcourt.
Without a doubt, Andre Iguodala should find more run in Game 5, which he may start instead of coming off the bench. But Andrew Bogut may be needed to play more than the 13 minutes per game he has averaged thus far. Although he has really struggled to rebound well against the Cavaliers, he still is the Warriors’ best paint protector.
All season long, the Warriors have faced adversity. They didn’t deserve the title last year because they didn’t play anybody. Curry’s magic was just a phase. Steve Kerr wouldn’t come back due to his back. Too many losses to bottom dwelling teams. Now, their most versatile player and the heart and soul of the team is lost for a game. Heading back to Cleveland would put the pressure solely on the Warriors.
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“It’s another challenge for us,” Thompson said. “But we’re going to embrace it and we’re going to accomplish it.”
Should they accomplish it, the Warriors will be repeat champions and enter the conversation as one of the greatest NBA teams ever.