Many would argue that the turning point of the NBA Finals came late in Game 4, when Draymond Green and LeBron James got into an altercation that got Green suspended from Game 5 and seemingly woke James up. It’s a thought that weighs on Green’s mind as well after the Warriors’ Game 7 loss.
“If I don’t put myself in that position, and I don’t get suspended for Game 5, are we sitting here champions? Maybe, maybe not. I don’t know,” Green said Sunday, via Kurt Helin of ProBasketballTalk. “But we’ll never know the answer to that question. But the answer that I do know is I won’t put myself in that position again, and that’s all I can really do, you know.”
Green was asked point blank if he blames himself for the fact that the Warriors failed to close out the series.
“As you know, I blame myself for everything,” Green said. “That’s just who I am. I think as a leader that’s important. Hey, I’m not afraid to take the blame. I do think that’s where the series turned, but it happened. Move on from it. Like I said, I learned from it, and I’ll be better. But I’m not afraid to say that it’s my fault. I think it was.”
Green was a good sport after the loss, but it’s clear this one hurt him. While he certainly can’t hold himself responsible for Game 7 after putting up 32 points, 15 rebounds, and 9 assists, he’s right in saying that the series somehow changed following this incident. There were certainly other factors – the loss of Andrew Bogut was noticeable in the final two games of the series – but it’s fair to say that things could have been a lot different had Green been able to take the floor at home in Game 5 with a 3-1 series lead.
