Golden State Warriors All-Star forward Draymond Green was pretty candid earlier this week about his thoughts on being suspended for Game 5 of the NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
In short, Green told reporters that he felt like he was “being a bad teammate” and needs “to be a better leader of this team.”
Green was suspended for the game, which ended in a 15-point Cavaliers win to extend the series to Game 6 Thursday night. That suspension came after he picked up the magic number of postseason flagrant fouls to warrant a one-game ban.
In the lead up to Game 6 in Cleveland, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr made sure to tell Green that he shouldn’t have to apologize to any member of the team for his actions.
Kerr on Green: "I told him you don't owe anyone an apology. Without you, we're not even here. We'd be on vacation."
— Fast Break (@GSWFastBreak) June 16, 2016
Kerr is right in that Green is one of the primary reasons the team has a chance to clinch its second consecutive NBA title on Thursday night. Though, Green’s absence on Monday in Oakland has made this series a little more competitive.
For his part, Green himself indicated that the Warriors would have won if he had suited up for Game 5.
While that’s definitely questionable considering by how much Cleveland won, Green’s importance to the team cannot be overstated.
The good news here for the Warriors is that Green will be back on the court with the team looking to clinch the title. This comes one year to the day after the All-Star forward put up a triple-double to help Golden State earn the NBA title last year. In game 6, and in Cleveland.