Decision by league on Green suspension expected Sunday
Altercation with James could result in Warrior missing potential clincher
OAKLAND — The NBA’s investigation is underway and it is trying to determine if Draymond Green punched LeBron James, sources with knowledge of the investigation told this newspaper.
A decision will be announced Sunday, sources said, on the eve of Game 5 of the NBA Finals. Meanwhile, members of the Warriors organization are miffed at why the investigation is even happening.
Green and the Warriors’ stance to the league: 1) It wasn’t a punch, he was shoving James off him; 2) James was the instigator; 3) this doesn’t rise to level of being worth impacting the Finals.
“Why is (Green) being investigated and (Matthew) Dellavedova wasn’t investigated for hitting Andre Iguodala?” one source asked.
If it is ruled Green punched James, he can be suspended for
a game per NBA rules. If he is assessed a Flagrant 1 foul for yet another incident, Green will have reached four flagrant foul points and be forced to serve a one-game suspension.
If Green is suspended, he is not allowed in the arena for Game 5. Theoretically, the Warriors could win the NBA title and their All-NBA forward wouldn’t be there to celebrate.
Under Commissioner Adam Silver, though, the NBA seems more interested in preserving the credibility of the game and letting the players decide the outcome. Based on precedent under Silver, the NBA values the entertainment element of the games and would almost certainly prefer not to take one of the stars out of the action — especially in the NBA Finals.
On its own, Green’s actions were not suspension worthy. If it were another player, the NBA would not be investigating.
However, Green is under an intense microscope. He became a national villain after two collisions with the crotch of Oklahoma City center Steven Adams. Green is a fiery, physical player who plays with high emotions, talks trash and does the dirty work — making him a ripe target for venom from opponents and their fan base.
After not suspending him for his unintentional kick on Adams, the league will be under pressure to finally do what many fans want — punish Green and the Warriors. The NBA could want to simply suspend Green for repeatedly putting them in these public relation nightmares.
But teaching Green a lesson would be a huge price at this juncture of the season, as a decision to suspend would have unquestioned impact on the series. The Warriors took control with a gutsy win at Cleveland and now can clinch with a win at home — where they have only lost three games all year. But suspending Green would give the Cavaliers a major advantage.
Of course, that gives fodder to NBA conspiracy theorists, who would be certain Green’s suspension is a ploy to extend the series, which would be a financial benefit to all parties involved. A win in Oakland would continue James’ highly dramatic quest to deliver a championship to Cleveland. Not that the NBA is governed by fears over what conspiracy theories are out there.
If the NBA does not want to suspend Green, and potentially changing the Finals significantly, the innocuous nature of the play may give the NBA the out it needs.
Even James — who made it a hot-button topic with his postgame remarks, preventing the NBA from dismissing the event as typical — expressed more concern about Green’s verbal jabs. The Game 4 incident is petty compared to the incident for which the NBA did not suspend Green.