Draymond Green is familiar with Finals suspensions, and the impact they can have on NBA history. The Golden State Warriors forward, who was fatefully suspended for Game 5 of the 2016 Finals after exceeding the postseason flagrant-foul threshold, is glad Cleveland Cavaliers big man Tristan Thompson was spared the same fate after shoving the basketball in Green's face late in Game 1 of this year's Finals.
"I'd rather a guy not get suspended," Green told reporters after practice Saturday. "Them suspending somebody else don't make me feel good. That's in the past. I don't want nobody to get suspended. That does nothing for us, or for me."
Thompson got into it with the Warriors in the final seconds of overtime in Game 1, when Shaun Livingston put up a jumper at the end of the shot clock with the Warriors up eight. There was a slight differential between the shot clock and game clock, but Thompson took exception to what he considered an attempt to run up the score, and hit Livingston with a forearm after the shot. He was given a Flagrant-2 foul and an immediate ejection, but before leaving the court he had words with Green and shoved the ball in his face.
Though there was speculation that the incident might earn him a suspension, Thompson was instead hit with a $25,000 fine, and had his foul downgraded to a Flagrant-1.
"I'm happy he only got a $25,000 fine," Green said. "It's not that much, number one. We're out here trying to feed our families, so I don't like to see people lose money, and I don't like to see people get suspended."
Green also said he's hopeful that the emotion from the end of Game 1 will carry over to Sunday's Game 2.
"You're trying to win a championship. There should be emotions involved," he said. "Whoever's emotions aren't involved should go sit down somewhere. This is what you work your whole life for. So it should carry over."