Kawakami: Warriors on edge waiting for Green decision from NBA
Kiki Vandeweghe and Draymond Green might be the best and most compelling matchup remaining in the NBA Finals right now.
OK, let’s throw LeBron James into that mix as a new ingredient, play the videotape 400 more times ...
And now we’ve got the last remaining unanswered issue as this series moves back to Oracle Arena for a potential titleclinching Game 5 for the Warriors on Monday.
I don’t think Green’s actions in Game 4 merit a suspension, and I don’t think he will get one.
But given Green’s recent track record and his relationship with the league, a suspension — via a Flagrant 1 or 2 foul awarded after review — is definitely not out of the question.
And then the Finals (with the Warriors up 3-1) would take an interesting twist since I believe Green has been the best all-around player in the series and would be the favorite at this moment to win Finals MVP.
Could the Warriors beat Cleveland on Monday without Green? Yes, but it’d be far more difficult (Brandon Rush coming off in the inactive list to start at that spot?) and not the way any team wants to go into a potential titleclincher.
So just a bit going on here, as the league investigates Green again, just as it did only a round ago.
Let’s go through the cast of characters, as the NBA uses the extra off-day to sift through the options with a ruling expected Sunday.
Vandeweghe is the NBA vice president who gave Green an obvious warning last round after Green kicked Oklahoma City center Steven Adams in the groin in Game 3 and was handed a punishment — Flagrant 1 lifted to a Flagrant 2 — just short of a suspension.
That put Green at three playoff Flagrant points, one short of an automatic one-game suspension.
On Saturday night, LeBron stoked the conversation by answering questions about the incident after the game and suggesting a suspension might be appropriate.
Here’s what I saw after multiple viewings:
After a grapple with LeBron, Green fell backward and James looked like he intentionally walked over Green in a sign of competitive disrespect.
(By the way, Green is not innocent of these sorts of signs himself, including in that game.)
As he got up, Green whipped his fist into LeBron’s groin area as LeBron moved away, but not with much force.
It seemed to be more of an instant reaction to James’ walkover than planned mayhem, and that order of events should have some weight.
Plus, viewed at real speed, the blow looks almost casual; in slow-motion, it looks much worse, but the play did not happen in slow-motion.
Is that Green action alone deserving of a suspension? No.
But Green does not exist in a vacuum after Vandeweghe showed restraint the last time around.
In the Adams ruling, the NBA wasn’t ready to alter that series drastically over that incident but wanted to warn Green about future actions by bringing him to the brink.
You’re not supposed to hit people in the groin, and Green has done it repeatedly in these playoffs.
I could see the NBA deciding enough is enough — or splitting the difference and giving both James and Draymond some form of punishment after this review.
But James is not on the brink of a suspension and Green is, and Green has brought this scrutiny upon himself in large part.
Even after the Adams ruling — remember, that was after two Green kicks to Adams’ groin — the league didn’t do anything when there was a more incidental Green flail-kick to Russell Westbrook in the next game.
Meanwhile, James seemed more unhappy about what Green said to him during the game than the half-punch; it clearly seemed to be a playground taunt.
Green gets people mad and messes with their comfort level; it’s how he motivates himself, it’s the instability he loves to create, and when he’s mad, he’s very good.
So are the Warriors, as they again displayed Friday night.
But all this furor and anger builds and builds and now Green has created this reputation for himself.
Green might find a way to knock a key player in the groin and then do it again.
He’s unrelenting; he tests everybody’s limits. He can test the Warriors players and coaches, too.
Whether they’re mad at him or in step with him or both at the same time, when Draymond talks and slams into opponents, the Warriors get energized.
But Green can be a lot to handle for both opponents and his own team, and he can cross the line at just about any moment.
The Warriors are the better team in the series and the best team in the world, and they are these things largely because of Green.
They’re also constantly on edge and wondering if he’ll blow up at the wrong time, and that’s where they are now again.