Golden State reserve forward James Michael McAdoo is averaging 0.5 points, 0.8 rebounds and 4.5 minutes of court time per game in these NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Warriors starter Draymond "The Nutcracker" Green is averaging 14.8 points, 9.3 rebounds and 5.8 assists in the same series.
Why is this important? Because thanks to the NBA's better-late-than-never decision to suspend Green for tonight's matchup in Oakland, McAdoo could be a key in the Warriors repeating as champions after five games or possibly having to go the distance in the best-of-seven series to retain their trophy.
This is not to say Green necessarily deserves his suspension for what took place near the close of Friday night's Golden State win in Cleveland, a come-from-behind 108-97 triumph that has the Warriors up 3-1 on the Cavs. Yes, he appeared to swing at the groin area of LeBron James as James was stepping over the top of Green rather than around him after the two got tangled up.
But there didn't appear to be any significant contact to speak of, and it could be argued they were on the ground because of James rather than Green.
Instead, it's probably better to look at this ruling as a lifetime achievement award for Green's past transgressions against opponents' private parts, most notably Oklahoma City's Steven Adams in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals.
The NBA pretty much said so when Kiki VanDeWeghe, the league's vice president of basketball operations, released this 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."
Green hit the magical point total of four by accruing a dreaded flagrant 2 tech (two points) for his kick to Adams' groin, a flagrant 1 (one point) for tossing Houston's Michael Beasley to the court in that series, and now this incident (one point) against King James, which the league described as a "retaliatory swipe of his hand to the groin."
Of further concern to the Warriors over the rest of this series and beyond is Green's apparent inability to control his temper even when he knows he's under the microscope. The Michigan State alum has long walked a fine line between being aggressive and out of control, and he has crossed that line enough throughout this postseason to make any general manager wonder how much longer you pay for his bad to get his good.
Then again, Green so often appears to be the soul of this team, the straw that stirs it, especially when adversity strikes.
Consider this. Over the Warriors' past three playoff losses - one to the Cavs, two straight at Oklahoma City - he scored but six points in each game. Over the team's past seven wins - three against the Cavs, four against the Thunder - he has averaged 14 points, 10.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks. He averaged only 0.7 blocks in the three defeats.
Green may not have quite the impact that either of the Warriors' Splash Brothers - two-time league MVP Stephen Curry or Klay Thompson - being suspended would on Golden State's championship chances, but he's close, especially within the locker room.
And that's the other thing about this ruling. Green's not even allowed on the premises tonight unless he wants to pay a $140,000 fine to the league. That's right - he can't even be in the building should the Warriors clinch, though he does have to count on their active roster.
Just a hunch, but I suspect Green will find a way on the court if the Warriors win, then find a collection jar in his locker filled with enough money to pay his fine.
"We accept the ruling," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Sunday. "We move on to Game 5."
It's the kind of next-man-up coaching that has made Kerr perhaps the shiniest young coaching star in the league the past couple seasons. It's why Golden State already has become the first franchise in NBA history to amass 73 regular-season wins and why it became just the 10th team in league history to climb out of a 1-3 hole in its eventual Western Conference finals win against Oklahoma City.
McAdoo isn't likely to be the unsung hero if the Warriors win, though. That honor is likely to go to either starter Harrison Barnes, sixth man Andre Iguodala or big man Marreese Speights. But the 6-9 McAdoo was on the floor for seven minutes in Cleveland, and he's quite likely to be on it some more tonight.
Will it be enough? And if it's enough, will James endure even more criticism this offseason for not being able to coax a healthy Cavs team to more than one win against these Warriors after beating them twice in last year's Finals with what amounted to a CBA All-Star team?
James may still be the most dominating, complete player in the league, but this series makes you wonder what has long been whispered about his feel for the game, whether James too often passes when he should shoot, shoots when he should pass, runs when he should walk, walks when he should run. It's probably not fair, but this series has not yet been the King at his finest, and that needs to change in a dramatic way tonight if the Cavs are to force a sixth game back home in Ohio.
Said Kerr on Sunday, "We'll compete like crazy and give ourselves a great chance to win."
If he's right, it might be time to talk not only about where to place the Warriors among the greatest NBA champions in history, but how many spots James has fallen below Michael Jordan in the "greatest of all time" argument thanks to these same Finals.
Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com.