OAKLAND, CA - JUNE 02: Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors reacts in the first half while taking on the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the 2016 NBA Finals at ORACLE Arena on June 2, 2016 in Oakland, California.
Draymond Green has been suspended from Game 5 of the NBA Finals, per an ESPN source, and will watch the game between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers, which is scheduled for Monday night at Oracle Arena in Oakland, from the adjacent O.co Coliseum Oakland Athletics’ stadium.
Under NBA suspension rules, Green, 26, cannot be in the building Monday night, or could face a $2,000 fine. The Warriors lead the series 3-1 after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 108-97 at Quicken Loans Arena on Friday.
The O.co Coliseum is connected by a tunnel to Oracle Arena.
The Warriors power forward was suspended after he was assessed a flagrant foul 1 by the league for his actions against Cavs star LeBron James in Game 4 in Cleveland. With under three minutes remaining in the game, Green and James got tangled. James stepped over Green after the latter fell to the court, and Green responded by swinging his arm and hitting James in the groin. James turned around immediately, and play continued.
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The NBA called Green’s foul a “retaliatory swipe of his hand to the groin” of James.
The ‘swipe’ marked Green’s fourth flagrant foul of the playoffs, which carries an automatic suspension. The forward will lose a game check for the suspension, which will cost him approximately $140,000.
Earlier in the postseason, Green was given a flagrant 2 and fined $25,000 for kicking Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams in the groin. He also received a flagrant 1 for throwing down Houston Rockets forward Michael Beasley in the first round.
Sources told ESPN’s Marc Stein that Green must be out of Oracle Arena two hours before tipoff, although he would be permitted by the league to enter the arena immediately following the game to partake in the celebration should the Warriors win.
“The cumulative points system is designed to deter flagrant fouls in our game,” NBA executive vice president of basketball operations Kiki VanDeWeghe said in a statement. “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.”
Green has only missed one game this season, a 112-110 loss against the Denver Nuggets on Jan. 13.
“There’s no way you can say this is an acceptable act,” VanDeWeghe also told the Associated Press in a phone interview.
James also received a technical foul for physically taunting Green in Friday’s altercation, the league announced.
“I was just trying to get back into the play. I think what had happened [with Green] was intentional,” James said when asked what his intentions were during the play. “I knew we got into a grapple at the top of the key, but me just trying to get back into the play.”
The NBA also announced that Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue has been fined $25,000 for his public criticism of the officiating following the Cavaliers’ loss on Friday.
The Warriors are going for their second consecutive NBA title.
PHOTO: OAKLAND, CA – JUNE 02: Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors reacts in the first half while taking on the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the 2016 NBA Finals at ORACLE Arena on June 2, 2016 in Oakland, California.
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