Draymond Green let his Golden State Warriors teammates down by allowing his emotions get the best of him in Game 4. He inexplicably reacted to LeBron James stepping over him in the fourth quarter and was retroactively assessed another flagrant, forcing him to watch Game 5 as a spectator outside Oracle Arena.
The Warriors lost that Game 5, a potential championship-clincher. Now they’re gearing up for Game 6, on the Cleveland Cavaliers’ turf, hoping to avoid another do-or-die Game 7.
And Green, in turn, is sorry, something he communicated to his teammates immediately after Game 5, per Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News:
Klay Thompson told me Draymond sent a group text to the entire team "immediately" after Game 5 apologizing for missing it
— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) June 15, 2016
Green can make up for his ill-timed transgressions by exploding in Game 6. But the gravity of his, um, disappearing act in Game 5 cannot be overstated.
If he plays, maybe Stephen Curry, who would be allowed to spend more time off the ball, isn’t as inefficient on the offensive end. Maybe Green makes the wide-open looks that Harrison Barnes missed. Maybe LeBron James and Kyrie Irving aren’t able to combine for 82 points, even though most of the shots they hit were heavily contested.
Above all else, maybe we’re not talking about a Game 6, and the possibility of a Game 7, because the Warriors would have already won the title.
This will be something to think about if Golden State falls on the road to Cleveland Thursday night. Green’s suspension, in that scenario, will have significantly compromised the Warriors’ ability to defend their 2015 title, perhaps even, in the end, costing them that second straight championship.
But seriously, Draymond. No pressure in Game 6 or anything.
