Schmeelk: NBA Made Wrong Decision Not Suspending Warriors' Green
By John Schmeelk
» More Columns
The Golden State Warriors caught a huge break Monday when perhaps their most important player, Draymond Green, was not suspended for kicking Steven Adams in the groin during Game 3 of the Western Conference finals on Sunday night.
The NBA had previously suspended players for such actions, but in those past cases intent was far clearer than it was in Green's case.
That being said, having played in and watched thousands of basketball games, that sort of kick is not a natural basketball motion. It doesn't happen in the flow of the game. Kicking a leg out to the side or spreading them to draw contact happens and isn't dangerous. Kicking forward with a Rockette-like motion is dangerous and should be outlawed.
Kiki Vandeweghe, who makes these decisions for the league, is right to say that players often flail to try to exaggerate contact to draw fouls, but the line has to be drawn somewhere. Just because Green had made similar motions before doesn't make it right or a natural motion. He chose to kick that way to draw a foul regardless of the chance he took injuring an opposing player. If a player is allowed to kick his leg forward with force into a defender's crotch as part of a foul exaggeration, why isn't flailing arms and elbows out towards the face of an opponent legal? If that motion is a natural part of an "exaggeration," does it make it OK?
Of course not. Any type of flopping motion is a conscious decision a player makes. Whether Green was trying to target Adams' crotch is immaterial. His action was reckless and can cause injury. Plays like that have no place in the NBA. Outlawing such actions would also go a long way towards limiting the ridiculous theatrical flopping players go through to try to draw fouls. This would have been a perfect opportunity for the league to take a stand on such nonsense, but it chose not to. Upgrading it to a flagrant 2 was not enough, either.
Green and the Warriors caught a break and they'll have a chance to take advantage of it and even their series with the Thunder on Tuesday night. Green is still a flagrant foul point away from being suspended, and his loss is something the defending champions cannot afford.
No Warrior that plays more than 25 minutes a game has a better net rating (plus-minus per 100 possessions) than Green in the regular season and the playoffs. Stephen Curry might be the league MVP, but the argument can be made that no player is more important to the Warriors than Green. It's his versatility that allows their "death lineup" (Curry, Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, Andre Iguodala, Green) to work. Green is strong and long enough to protect the rim, quick enough to guard opposing guards, and on offense can drive, shoot or create for his teammates when teams overplay Curry or Thompson on screen and rolls.
The loss of Green would have been monumental. Look at how the Warriors struggled when he played so poorly in Game 3 against the Thunder. Look at how they struggled against the Cavaliers early in the first few games of the Finals last year when he played bad basketball. The Warriors need Green, and, thanks to the NBA, they still have him, for now. And they'll need him playing well to beat the Thunder.
Give the Thunder and Billy Donovan credit for how much better Oklahoma City is playing in the playoffs as compared to the regular season. After winning by playing big against the Spurs and in Game 1 against the Warriors, Donovan went small with Durant at the four in Game 3 and Golden State had no answer. Being able to adjust mid-series is required by good coaches if they want to win in the playoffs and Donovan is showing he can do it.
Praise must also be bestowed upon Kevin Durant and Russel Westbrook, who have played great basketball. They cut down on their mistakes during Game 3, but stayed aggressive and continued to score at their usual high rate. Turnovers can turn into fast baskets for the Warriors and their patented runs, so avoiding them is almost as important as Durant and Westbrook scoring a lot of points. The Thunder will go as far as those two can carry them.
If the Thunder lose Tuesday they can still win the series, but they will have to win for a second time at Golden State. That's a tall order. It's not a must-win Tuesday, but doing so would make the Thunder's lives much easier if they want to try to get their opportunity to win a championship.
* * *
For some reason the world is shocked that the Raptors have tied the Cavaliers at two games apiece in the Eastern Conference finals. Did everyone forget that Toronto had only one fewer win than Cleveland during the regular season? Sure, Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan struggled for a stretch in the playoffs, but they are both All-Star-caliber players. They can flat out play. The Cavs are going to have to fight for this and it isn't going to be easy.
The series looks like it could be headed to seven games, and much like in the West could be a dog fight. After a dismal first round and average second round, NBA fans deserve conference finals like these.
For everything Knicks, Giants and the world of sports, please follow John on Twitter at @Schmeelk
