The Cleveland Cavaliers won game five of the NBA Finals thanks to the combined performance of Lebron James & Kyrie Irving, who together put up 82 points and gave the Cavs some life again. Many people believe the game would’ve never gone that way if Draymond Green hadn’t been suspended for hitting Lebron in the balls during game four. According to reports, behind the scenes the Cavs were lobbying anyone who would listen that Green should have gotten a two game suspension.
@IamJoeSports
Green definitely did not deserve a two game suspension. He barely deserved the suspension itself and that really only happened because the league dropped the ball during previous incidents involving Green.
Zach Lowe of ESPN reported “The Cavs wanted him suspended for two games. I can tell you that. They wanted it to be a flagrant 2 and to have him suspended for Game 5 and Game 6”.
The league got it right. The retroactively assigned flagrant 1 triggered a one-game suspension due to Green’s prior playoff flagrants. A flagrant 2, which would’ve triggered a two-game suspension, would’ve been too harsh for Green’s retaliation.
It’s hard to say what would’ve happened if Green played in game five but the Warriors are definitely happy he isn’t missing tonight’s game six as well.
