Draymond Green, suspended for Game 5 of the NBA Finals, watched LeBron James and Kyrie Irving send the series back to Cleveland from the Oakland Coliseum next door to Golden State's Oracle Arena on Monday.
The Warriors said Green changed his mind several times Monday morning before deciding on a plan. The Athletics even extended Green an invitation to throw out the ceremonial first pitch, but he declined. "He would like to keep a low profile," A's spokeswoman Catherine Aker said.
Joining Green at his Coliseum viewing party were Warriors general manager Bob Myers and retired Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch. Lynch is an Oakland native.
Under league rules, Green could not be in the building Monday night when the Warriors had to put their celebration on hold after Cleveland's 112-97 victory in Game 5 cut their series lead to 3-2. If a player attends a game while suspended, he faces a $2,000 fine.
So Green watched the A's take on the Texas Rangers on Monday, with the first pitch set for 10:05 p.m. ET. Green was seen driving away from the players' parking lot at Oracle Arena with Lynch shortly after midnight ET. He never went to Oracle after the game ended.
Sources told ESPN's Marc Stein that Green had to be out of the arena two hours before tipoff, but he would have been allowed by the NBA to enter the arena immediately after the game to join in the celebration had Golden State won.
The Oakland Coliseum is connected by a tunnel to Oracle Arena.
Green was suspended after he was assessed a flagrant foul 1 by the league for his actions in Game 4. The play that drew the flagrant foul came with less than three minutes left in Golden State's 108-97 victory over the Cavaliers on Friday, when Green and LeBron James got tangled. James stepped over Green after the Warriors forward fell to the court, and Green swung his arm and appeared to make contact with James' groin area. James immediately turned around, and the two players went chest-to-chest as play continued.
The NBA also announced that Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue has been fined $25,000 for his public criticism of the officiating after Cleveland's Game 4 loss. In reaction to the suspension, the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook dropped the Warriors from a 6.5-point favorite to a 6-point favorite.
Information from ESPN senior writer Brian Windhorst and The Associated Press was used in this report.
0 comments:
Post a Comment