If the Golden State Warriors are going to win the NBA title, they are going to have to do it without Draymond Green.
The NBA announced Sunday that Green was assessed a flagrant 1 for what the league referred to as a “retaliatory swipe of his hand to the groin” of LeBron James during Game 4 (video here) which triggers an automatic one game ban for being his fourth flagrant of the playoffs.
“The cumulative points system is designed to deter flagrant fouls in our game,” NBA VP of basketball operations Kiki VanDeWeghe said in a statement, via ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. “While Draymond Green’s actions in Game 4 do not merit a suspension as a standalone act, the number of flagrant points he has earned triggers a suspension for Game 5.”
NBA rules state that Green will not even be allowed in the building for Game 5. If he did go to the arena, he would be subject to a fine.
The Warriors had feared this scenario, and it’s a significant blow to them as they try to finish off the series. It remains to be seen how Steve Kerr will adjust his lineup, but it may mean we see both Andre Iguodala and Andrew Bogut in the starting five on Monday night.
