The NBA only could take so many crotch shots.
Draymond Green was assessed a retroactive Flagrant Foul 1 upon league review for making contact with LeBron James’ nether regions during Game 4 of the NBA Finals. That pushes his flagrant foul points during the NBA playoffs to four, meaning he will be suspended one game — Monday’s Game 5 at Oracle Arena, where the Warriors have a chance to clinch the series.
The play in question occurred with 2:48 remaining, after James stepped over Green. Green, angry at the perceived disrespect, lashed his arm out twice, once appearing to make contact with James’ groin. This came after Green narrowly avoided a suspension for a kick between the legs of Oklahoma City’s Steven Adams in the Western Conference Finals.
James retroactively was assessed a technical by the league office.
“The cumulative points system is designed to deter flagrant fouls in our game” executive VP 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.”