Written By Paul Flannery at SBNation.com
Steve Kerr made it through three questions before he had enough of the Draymond Green talk. Yes, the Warriors missed his rim protection, his communication, his ability to switch and everything else that Green brings to the court. If there was ever any doubt as to his importance that was answered definitively in Game 5.
That much was obvious from watching LeBron James slice and dice Golden State’s defense en route to another chapter in his book of dominating Finals performances. But when it came to the Draymond Question — the one about how his greatest strength is also his Kryptonite — that was enough for the Golden State coach.
“We’re not talking about that tonight,” Kerr said. “Draymond wasn’t here, so we played without him. We didn’t play well enough to win. I’m not going into all that stuff.”
If Kerr had a nickel for every time he’s been asked about Draymond’s red-hot engine in these Finals he’d have enough for a double-shot espresso at any of Berkeley’s finest coffeehouses. And if he had Draymond’s over-caffeinated self on the court in Game 5 we’d probably all be on our way home right now. But he didn’t and we’re not so this series goes back to Cleveland with a strange new twist on what has been a very odd finals.
We’ve had two monstrous blowouts in Games 2 and 3, and another lopsided result in the opener. Game 4 was tight and tense and should have signaled the end game if not for Green losing his cool at exactly the wrong moment. (You can debate whether LeBron baited him or disrespected him all you want. Green was on notice for his past behavior and everyone knew it. The blame lies solely with him.)
Green may not be the best player in this series and he likely cost himself a chance at finals MVP with his suspension, but a very good argument can be made that he’s the most important player. Without Green there is no death lineup, but his absence goes far deeper.
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