Draymond Green’s Game 4 scuffle with LeBron James didn’t look like much at the time, but NBA suits felt that the Warriors forward’s actions crossed the line and upon league review assessed Green with a Flagrant 1 and announced on Sunday that it has suspended Green for Monday’s Game 5, which could be a closeout game for Golden State, leading 3-1 in the 2016 NBA Finals.
The NBA also assessed LeBron James with a technical foul for the physical play that the two exchanged during the fourth quarter of the Golden State Warriors’ 108-97 win on Friday.
The incident occurred when Green made unnecessary contact with the groin area of King James with 2:48 remaining. According to league rules, any player who accumulates four flagrant fouls over the course of the playoffs, will receive a one game suspension. Green had already accumulated three during playoff games. This one comes as a tough blow to the Warriors as the league took it upon itself to alter a call the ref made in the game.
With Green out in Game 5, Cleveland’s Vegas odds just improved. Eliminating LeBron’s nemisis should make things a bit easier for “The Brand Name” to keep Cleveland’s hoop dreams alive.
