Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors seeking second straight NBA title

Oklahoma City Thunder vs Golden State Warriors - Game 7 - 1st Half Highlights | 2016 NBA Playoffs

OAKLAND, Calif. Fresh charcoal gray NBA Finals cap on backward and wearing a wide grin,Stephen Currysummed up his wild, up-and-down postseason so far and reminded everybody he"s not close to done.

The MVP"s got his groove back, all right - looking healthy again at last after dealing with a troublesome ankle, right knee sprain that sidelined him and even a puffy elbow from an awkward dive into the stands.

"Now we"re four wins away from our goal, and that"s a pretty special accomplishment," Curry said Monday night after his Golden State Warriors wrapped up the Western Conference finals by beating the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7.

Curry is taking the 73-win Warriors back to the NBA Finals with a shot at a second straight championship, his plan from the get go.

Golden State"s ultimate goal of a repeat title has been in the works since Day 1, even if the Warriors" chances of digging out of a big hole against Oklahoma City looked dire just last week. His body beat up, Curry had no choice but to watch fellow Splash BrotherKlay Thompsonand others carry the Warriors for much of this postseason run while he worked his way back.

It"s his time again.

Just as he did after the Warriors won Game 5 to stave off elimination, Curry chanted through Oracle Arena, "We ain"t going home!" as Golden State became just the 10th team to rally from a 3-1 deficit to win a postseason series with Monday night"s 96-88 Game 7 victory.

Curry and his teammates earned a day off Tuesday before preparations begin in earnest Wednesday for a Finals rematch againstLeBron Jamesand the Cleveland Cavaliers, who lost last season"s title to Golden State in six games.

For Curry, there"s just one more step to take to cap a remarkable, record-setting season.

The 28-year-old global superstar earned the first unanimous MVP award in league history, while also becoming the first player not only to make 300 3-pointers in a season but also 400 - he finished with 402 - before a series of injuries slowed him when it mattered most.

There was the injured ankle in the first-round Houston series, then he returned only to slip on a wet spot in Game 4 against the Rockets and sprained his right knee. He made a dive into the Oracle Arena stands against the Thunder and gave himself a puffy elbow, and for a few games Curry hardly looked comfortable with his typically breezy ballhandling and shoot-from-anywhere rhythm.

Until he did again.

His teammates have come to expect nothing less, even when Curry"s body is hurting and speculation swirls about whether he is playing somewhere around 70 percent. He has learned to block out the chatter along the way, knowing that just comes with being the best.

"That"s really one thing that I admire about him. He"s a person that"s never going to change for anybody. He hasn"t changed to try to prove anything," said 2015 Finals MVPAndre Iguodala. "He just stayed true to himself."

Curry scored 36 points in the deciding game while making seven 3-pointers and dishing out eight assists. He wound up with 32 3s against the Thunder, the most ever in a seven-game postseason series.

"I feel joy, for sure," he said. "This is an unbelievable accomplishment, to go back to back to the Finals and continue this journey. So I"m kind of just taking in the moment and enjoying it with my teammates."

And for anybody still questioning his toughness, Coach of the Year Steve Kerr brushes such things aside with another timely joke: "Because he looks like he"s 12."

Perhaps it"s easy to forget how Curry led the Warriors to an NBA-record 24-0 start and a record 73-9 finish.

"You have an MVP, two-time, and what he contributes every single night and what he means on the floor for them, you just have to have your antenna up even more," Cleveland"sKyrie Irvingsaid.

Four more wins, that"s all Curry cares about right now. However they come.

"The one thing with Steph is he understands that with all these accolades, MVPs, commercials, with all that comes great responsibility to his team, to the organization, the fans. He gets that," Kerr said. "He understands that if you play poorly, you"re going to get blamed if you"re the star. He"s had a rough playoff go because of the injuries. I think he finally felt right physically the last couple games. And this is who he is. Having a clutch performance in a Game 7. That"s Steph Curry."

-- The Associated Press

Source: http://www.oregonlive.com/nba/index.ssf/2016/05/stephen_curry_golden_state_war_1.html

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The Golden State Warriors" Owner Literally Bowed Down to Klay Thompson After He Drained 11 Three-Pointers

Oklahoma City Thunder vs Golden State Warriors - Game 2 - Full Highlights | 2016 NBA Playoffs
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Source: http://time.com/4351509/golden-state-warriors-klay-thompson-oklahoma-city-thunder/

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Golden State Warriors vs. OKC Thunder in Game 6 for the 2016 NBA Playoffs Preview, TV Schedule and Free Live ...

Golden State Warriors vs Oklahoma City Thunder - May 28, 2016

ByMiguel Rodriguez , CP Contributor

May 28, 2016|1:25 pm

Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the rest of the Oklahoma City Thunder team will be looking to eliminate the reigning champs Golden State Warriors in Game 6 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City tonight, Saturday May 28, 2016. Tip-off is at 9:00 p.m. ET (6:00 p.m. PT) and the TV broadcast and online live stream will be made available via TNT Overtime. The free live stream link can be found here.

If the Thunder do win, they"ll leave a bitter taste in the mouths of Warrior fans who were looking forward to back-to-back titles and were witnessing an extraordinary season from a team who not only broke the record for most wins in a single season (73-9) but also saw Stephen Curry break the NBA-record for most three-pointers in regular season history (402 three"s).

Despite Warriors" bouncing back in Game 5 and staving off elimination, the Thunder have overall been more aggressive than their counterparts in this series which have enabled them to earn wins at Warriors" home turf a difficult feat (Warriors lost only 3 times at home this season) and something the Thunder hadn"t achieved all season long.

Stephen Curry was instrumental to keep the Warriors hope of another title alive with a strong performance on Thursday night.

Steve Curry and Andrew Bogut

"We ain"t going home! We"re not going home!" Stephen Curry was seen screaming as the game came to a close.

Curry scored 31 points, grabbed 7 rebounds and handed out 6 assists during a game where the Thunder were relentlessly holding their ground and keeping the Warriors" rallies short lived.

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook had remarkable performances with 40 and 31 points respectively but that wasn"t enough for the Thunder to overcome the Warriors this time around. Warriors" Bogut grabbed critical rebounds - a total of 14 - and scored 15 points in what was a monstrous game for him and perhaps key for the Warriors" win.

Steve Kerr Weighs in on Game 6

With respect to the Warriors performance and prospects for Game 6, coach Steve Kerr said the following according to AP via NBA.com.

"Our guys have had a spectacular run here the last two years. They"ve loved every second of it. They don"t want it to end, and no matter how you look at it, if you"re not the last team standing, it"s tough. It"s a disappointing way to go out. So we want to hang in there. We want to win the next two and get back to the finals."

If the Thunder earn the W tonight the team will return to their 2nd NBA Finals appearance since 2012 when the lost against the Miami Heat but will face a familiar foe in LeBron James who now plays for Cleveland. Although they lost the series against James, Wade and Bosh and the rest of the Miami crew (4-1) that time around, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant have improved their play significantly since then and frankly it"ll be very hard to not see them lifting the Larry O"Brien trophy this time around.

TNT Overtime - Free Live Streaming

The game will be broadcast by TNT Overtime and the free live online stream can be seen at this link.

Source: http://www.christianpost.com/news/golden-state-warriors-vs-okc-thunder-in-game-6-for-the-2016-nba-playoffs-preview-tv-schedule-and-free-live-streaming-via-tnt-overtime-164602/

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NBA Finals schedule: Dates, times, TV for Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors or Oklahoma City Thunder

Golden State Warriors vs Oklahoma City Thunder - Game 6 - Full Highlights | 2016 NBA Playoffs

The Cleveland Cavaliers advanced to the NBA Finals by eliminating the Toronto Raptors in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Friday night, and the Cavaliers now await the Golden State Warriors or the Oklahoma City Thunder, which holds a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference Finals.

Game 6 of the Warriors-Thunder series is Saturday night in Oklahoma City.

Here is the NBA Finals schedule, depending on the series winnerfrom the West (all times EDT):

Golden State vs. Cleveland

Game 1, Thursday, June 2, at Golden State, 9 p.m., ABC

Game 2, Sunday, June 5, at Golden State, 8 p.m., ABC

Game 3, Wednesday, June 8, at Cleveland, 9 p.m., ABC

Game 4, Friday, June 10, at Cleveland, 9 p.m., ABC

x-Game 5, Monday, June 13, at Golden State, 9 p.m., ABC

x-Game 6, Thursday, June 16, at Cleveland, 9 p.m., ABC

x-Game 7, Sunday, June 19, at Golden State, 8 p.m., ABC

Carmelo: Yanks or Mets?

Cleveland vs. Oklahoma City

Game 1, Thursday, June 2, at Cleveland, 9 p.m., ABC

Game 2, Sunday, June 5, at Cleveland, 8 p.m., ABC

Game 3, Wednesday, June 8, at Oklahoma City, 9 p.m., ABC

Game 4, Friday, June 10, at Oklahoma City, 9 p.m., ABC

x-Game 5, Monday, June 13, at Cleveland, 9 p.m., ABC

x-Game 6, Thursday, June 16, at Oklahoma City, 9 p.m., ABC

x-Game 7, Sunday, June 19, at Cleveland, 8 p.m., ABC

x-If necessary

Livestream for all games:WatchESPN

LeBron James isn"t just going back to the NBA Finals. He"s returning with a team that"s healthy and whole, which makes this trip unlike last year.

Maybe it will lead to a different result.

James scored 33 points, Kevin Love had 20 points and 12 rebounds, and the ClevelandCavaliersbeat the Toronto Raptors 113-87 in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals Friday night, winning the series 4-2.

Kyrie Irving had 30 points and J.R. Smith added 15 for theCavaliers, who will face the winner of the Golden State-Oklahoma City series beginning Thursday.

Cleveland would open at home against the Thunder but would be on the road against the 73-win Warriors, who trail 3-2 against Oklahoma City, heading into Saturday"s Game 6.

Last year, a depleted Cavs team lost in six games to the Warriors, left to wonder whether things would have worked out differently if Love (left shoulder) and Irving (left knee) had been at full strength.

That"s not a concern this time around.

"There"s definitely a different feeling," said James, who was emotional during his postgame interview on the court.

"I didn"t appreciate last year, myself personally, getting to the finals. So much was going on in my mind, knowing that Kev was out for the rest of the season and knowing that Ky was dealing with injuries all the way from the first round. Having these guys right here at full strength, having our team at full strength and the way I feel personally, I appreciate this moment, to be able to be a part of it and be there once again."

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Source: http://www.nj.com/knicks/index.ssf/2016/05/nba_finals_scenarios_cleveland_cavaliers_vs_golden.html

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Golden State Warriors shock Oklahoma City Thunder to force Game 7

Oklahoma City Thunder vs Golden State Warriors - Game 1 - Full Game Highlights | 2016 NBA Playoffs

The Golden State Warriors outscored the Oklahoma City Thunder, 31-18, in the fourth quarter to stun the Thunder, 108-101, and force Game 7 in the Western Conference Finals.

Finals schedule: Cavs vs. Warriors/Thunder

Warriors Klay Thompson hit an NBA record 11 3-pointers on his way to 41 points.

Stephen Curry bounced back from a slow start to finish with 29 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.

The Warriors, who set the league"s regular-season record with 73 wins, will host Game 7 on Monday. The winner will play Cleveland in the NBA Finals.

"I just so proud of everybody, man," Thompson said. "We were down almost the whole game and we never gave up."

Who"s rallied from 3-1 down?

Oklahoma City dominated Games 3 and 4 at home, but the Warriors made 21 of 44 3-pointers on Saturday, while Oklahoma City was 3 of 23.

"About time we had a stretch in this building where we imposed our will," Curry said.

Kevin Durant scored 29 points and Russell Westbrook added 28 for the Thunder. But Durant made just 10 of 31 shots and Westbrook was 10 of 27.

Trying to become the 10th team to overcome a 3-1 deficit, the Warriors trailed much of the game and were behind by eight going to the fourth quarter.

Thompson kept them in it with four 3-pointers in just over seven minutes to start the period. Curry then hit two 3s, the second of which tied the game at 99 with 2:47 to play.

Thompson"s 3 with 1:35 to play put the Warriors up 104-101.

The Thunder, who blew a number of fourth-quarter leads during the regular season, fell apart in the final minutes after Golden State had finally gone ahead for good.

Westbrook lost control of the ball, and after Thompson missed a 3, Westbrook turned the ball over again. Curry"s layup with 14.3 seconds to play put the Warriors up by five, the Thunder turned it over again, and the Warriors were in the clear.

The Thunder led 23-20 after one quarter, then seized momentum early in the second. Steven Adams" powerful one-handed dunk on Draymond Green drew a roar from the crowd and gave Oklahoma City a 37-28 lead. Green, who had hit Adams in the groin area twice during the series, was a constant target for the vocal Thunder fans.

Thompson opened the second half with back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Warriors a 54-53 edge, but the Thunder closed the quarter strong and led 83-75 heading into the fourth.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Source: http://www.nj.com/knicks/index.ssf/2016/05/golden_state_warriors_shock_oklahoma_city_thunder.html

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Oklahoma City Thunder vs Golden State Warriors - Game 1 - Full Game Highlights | 2016 NBA Playoffs

OAKLAND (AP) Were not going home! Were not going home! Stephen Curry screamed at the top of his lungs.

No, his Golden State Warriors are going back to Oklahoma City, after keeping their title reign and the winningest season in NBA history alive for at least one more game.

Curry scored 31 points, raising his arms in the early moments to awaken Golden States raucous crowd, and the defending champions staved off elimination with a 120-111 victory over the Thunder on Thursday night in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals.

For all the speculation about the current state of Currys beat-up body that troublesome ankle, sore knee or tender elbow he did it all.

I thought he looked like 91 percent, coach Steve Kerr cracked. He came out and played a really good game. Thats all I can tell you. Hes going to compete every night. He had an excellent night and helped us get it done.

The MVP made a snazzy layup late and dished out six assists, while Klay Thompson added 27 points as Golden State sent the best the best-of-seven series back to Oklahoma City for Game 6 on Saturday night. Golden State trails 3-2 and is trying to become just the 10th team to rally from a 3-1 deficit.

None of us want to go home, Thompson said. Were having too much fun out there.

Kevin Durant scored 40 points and Russell Westbrook added 31 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and five steals for the Thunder, trying for the fifth NBA Finals appearance in franchise history and chasing just the second championship after the 1978-79 Seattle SuperSonics won it all.

Hes a tornado, Kerr said of Westbrook.

The record-setting, 73-win Warriors, coming off their first back-to-back defeats all season, had been blown out in two losses at Oklahoma City by a combined 52 points.

Durants 3-pointer with 4:34 left got the Thunder within 103-98, then Curry answered with a three-point play.

Curry scored seven points in a 58-second stretch of the second quarter, but the Thunder didnt go away easily.

I liked our will, I liked our fight, Kerr said. We were embarrassed in OKC the last couple games.

Trailing 58-50 at halftime, Oklahoma City came out of the break with a 9-2 run. Westbrooks 3-pointer with 6:06 left in the third put Oklahoma City ahead 68-67 for its first lead of the night. But Golden State led 81-77 going into the fourth and began the final period with an 8-0 burst.

We didnt shoot a particularly good percentage when we got into the lane and got into the deep paint, Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. We had our opportunities.

Curry shot 9 for 20 and also had five steals, while Thompson had his 11th 20-point game for the second straight postseason despite shooting 2 for 9 from 3-point range. Draymond Green had 11 points and 13 rebounds.

Kerr figured his Warriors might have an edge against the percentages of teams having trailed 3-1 because theyre the defending champs and were playing at home, where they have been nearly unbeatable.

He wasnt surprised to see this team respond so well.

We played with great desperation, Kerr said. I knew how we would play. This is a championship team.

Kerr called for center Andrew Bogut to do more and the 7-footer delivered with a playoff career-high 15 points and 14 rebounds for his second double-double this postseason and seventh of his career.

Marreese Speights had a pair of three-point plays on follow shots and a 3 in the second quarter to give Golden State a nice lift off the bench. He had nine points in four minutes during that stretch and 14 points overall for his fifth double-digit scoring game this postseason.

With his 1,248th career postseason point in the third, Curry passed Wilt Chamberlain (1,246) for second place on the franchises playoff scoring list.

Thats who he is, thats what hes done, thats whats made him a very good player, Donovan said.

Coach of the Year Kerr sent a message to Warriors fans Wednesday on social media requesting they arrive on time Thursday and bring their best.

The always-raucous supporters obliged.

Its a big game. We need our crowd behind us, Kerr said beforehand.

Source: http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2016/05/26/warriors-slam-thunder-stay-in-the-western-conference-final/

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Did Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob jinx his team?

Golden State Warriors vs Oklahoma City Thunder - Game 4 - 1st Qtr Highlights | 2016 NBA Playoffs

The Golden State Warriors won an NBA-record 73 games this season. They ran through the league, defiling opponents night in and night out with historic three-point shooting and cement-wall defense, wrapped inside a traveling circus atmosphere.

For 16 months, the Warriors were the best and most thrilling team in the sport"s history, and, at least at the ownership level, all the success got to their head. Now that Golden State trails the Oklahoma City Thunder 3-1, these words from Warriors owner Joe Lacob are resurfacing in a karmic way (via New York Times Magazine):

When I asked him about the previous night"s game, he could hardly contain himself. He boasted that the Warriors are playing in a far more sophisticated fashion than the rest of the league. "We"ve crushed them on the basketball court, and we"re going to for years because of the way we"ve built this team," he said. But what really set the franchise apart, he said, was the way it operated as a business. "We"re light-years ahead of probably every other team in structure, in planning, in how we"re going to go about things," he said. "We"re going to be a handful for the rest of the N.B.A. to deal with for a long time."

If you believe in jinxes, there"s a solid case to be made that Lacob"s comments jinxed Golden State:

The Warriors were 68-7 when NYT Magazine published Golden State owner Joe Lacob"s "Light Years Ahead" interview. Will fall to 14-7 since.

Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver)May 25, 2016

The arrogance is bothersome, along with the flat-out ridiculousness in saying the Warriors are so far ahead of every other organization in the league. Yes, they"re highly intelligent and accomplished. But no franchise will ever outsmart luck. Steph Curry slipping on a wet spot against the Houston Rockets and spraining his MCL? Draymond Green hurting his ankle in Game 5 against the Portland Trail Blazers?

There"s no getting around injuries, or having your best player drown in an inexplicable shooting slump.

It"s always better to be humble and gracious, particularly in a field like professional sports, where so many factors outside any person"s control can influence who wins and who loses. Lacob may have to find this out the hard way.

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Source: http://www.foxsports.com/nba/story/golden-state-warriors-jinx-joe-lacob-owner-new-york-times-magazine-052516

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The Death of the Golden State Warriors

Golden State Warriors vs Oklahoma City Thunder - Game 4 - 1st Qtr Highlights | 2016 NBA Playoffs

This is what it"s like to witness the implosion of an idea: Every time you thought the Golden State Warriors might claw their way back in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals, they found a way to dig themselves in deeper. They never really played like the team we"d come to adore, and this was confounding and occasionally frustrating, especially if you happen to believe that the Warriors represented something larger than basketball itself, which was pretty much the reason why they caught fire in popular culture in the first place.

Sidebar Thunder Take a Kicking, Keep Ticking: Are the Warriors Done?

There is, of course, much to be said for the Oklahoma City Thunder, the team that blasted the Warriors at home for the second consecutive game, a 118-94 victory that gave OKC a commanding 3-1 lead in the series. Every time the Warriors attempted to pull themselves out of a hole last night, the Thunder had an answer; every time the Warriors would were on the verge of clawing back into this game, they quickly found themselves buried again. They had no rhythm, and Stephen Curry was mysteriously AWOL, perhaps limited by a knee injury that may be lingering more than he would let on; even when Klay Thompson caught fire in the third quarter, it was not enough to bridge the gap with a Thunder team whose supporting cast was clearly playing better on every level.

Maybe this shouldn"t be surprising, given that the Thunder have two of the best and most exciting players in the universe in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. It would appear, barring one last-ditch Golden State miracle, that the Thunder are now headed to the NBA Finals. And given the sheer power and force with which Westbrook and Durant have played in this series, maybe it should have been evident all along. Westbrook is a blur and Durant is a pinpoint shooter, and combined with the overachievement of role players like Steven Adams and Andre Roberson, they are nearly unstoppable at this point.

If that"s the case, there will be plenty of time to celebrate Oklahoma City, and to laud the way that franchise has resurrected itself, and the way Westbrook and Durant have finally perfected the team chemistry they"d been seeking for years under first-year coach Billy Donovan. But for now, at least, it is worth mourning what we may have lost last night, as the Warriors dropped two games in a row for the first time this entire season. Because there is a reason the Warriors transcended basketball itself, and there is a reason they inspired a revolution within the sport, and I hope that even if they lose this series, that this is not lost. Because I think it matters.

What the Warriors have done over these past couple of years is remarkable in large part because it felt so utterly improbable. Their three best players, Draymond Green and Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, were all lightly regarded in college, unlike Westbrook and Durant; they all willed themselves to this point, and they did it by gaming the system, by forcing a physical sport to embrace perimeter shooting. This is why aging skeptics like Oscar Robertson and Charles Barkley are no doubt enjoying this series; but this is also why the NBA has become more of a populist sport over the past couple of seasons.

So what happens if the Warriors lose this series? What if this, for whatever reason, proves to be the end, and they wind up with one championship ring and a regular-season wins record and nothing more? There will be room for the naysayers to say that they were merely a mirage; there will be room for the believers to insist that they could have done more, if only Curry"s health had held up. My hope is that they"ve already altered the NBA for the better, that they"ve opened up a sport that, particularly in crunch time, tends toward blunt and overly physical play rather than finesse and beauty.

But I don"t know if that"s the case. If the Warriors lose this series, there will still be a way to dismiss them as a passing fad, and that would be a shame, because I can"t think of a professional team in any sport in my lifetime that has been more purely pleasurable to watch. Maybe you want to argue that the idea that fueled their success was all a flimsy dream, but if so, it was one of the most brilliant dreams of my lifetime.

Michael Weinreb is the author of Season of Saturdays: A History of College Football in 14 Games, now out in paperback. You can find him on Twitter @michaelweinreb

Source: http://www.rollingstone.com/sports/features/the-death-of-the-golden-state-warriors-20160525

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NBA fails to suspend Golden State Warriors" Draymond Green for next playoff game: Bill Livingston

Oklahoma City Thunder vs Golden State Warriors - Game 1 - Full Game Highlights | 2016 NBA Playoffs

TORONTO, Ontario -- The NBA suspended Cleveland Cavaliers bench player Dahntay Jones for one game for punching the Toronto Raptors Bismack Biyombo in the midsection in the waning moments of Cleveland"s first loss of the playoffs Saturday night.

Sunday night in Oklahoma City, Draymond Green gave the Thunder"s Steven Adams the second part of the old "one-two" when Adams" groin apparently leaped in front of Green"s foot.

The first part -- the old "one," came when Adam" groin intruded on the space reserved for Green"s knee in a game last Wednesday at Golden State.

Green, a former Michigan State player who, as the 35th pick in his draft year is one of the NBA"s great success stories, was not suspended despite being a serial below the belt striker.

The NBA supinely upgraded the call to a Flagrant Foul 2 and fined Green the equivalent of tip money for the maid at the typical NBA player"s Ode to Me mansion -- $25,000.

Kiki VanDeWeghe, the NBA dean of discipline, must have miscreants lining up happily outside his office, like college players at North Carolina for that class with no attendance requirement and no academic merit.

Personally, I agreed with VanDeWeghe"s view of the physical action in the Sunday incident, which was that Green was flailing his legs while trying to draw a foul call and did not mean to kick Adams.

On the first incident last Wednesday, a driving layup against Adams, Green cocked his knee like a fixed bayonet before crashing into Adams and releasing the shot.

To me, the track record of the volatile Green in this series and over the course of his career should have been a consideration.

To me, this sets a precedent for stars with a Charles Barkley cheap-shot disposition.

But the league has been leery of suspending impact players ever since former commissioner David Stern changed the course of the 2007 playoffs.

Phoenix"s Boris Diaw and Amar"e Stoudemire left the bench in the final minute of a series-tying Suns" victory in the fourth game, protesting Robert Horry"s hockey-style check of Suns" point guard Steve Nash.

The ruling eviscerated the Spurs, who claimed San Antonio center Tim Duncan left his team"s bench too, but not as aggressively. The incident occurred when the game had already been decided. It propelled the Spurs to the championship, won in a sweep of the Cavaliers.

Since then, players who are starters or in the rotation have received the benefit of the doubt.

J.R. Smith of the Cavs, however, did receive a two-game suspension after a Flagrant 2 foul and ejection when he elbowed Boston"s Jae Crowder in the biker bar rumble that was the fourth game of that opening series in 2015.

The instigator Crowder was not punished. Smith"s foul was more forceful than Green"s, felling the Boston swing man, but it was to a less sensitive area.Smith"s track record certainly was part of the decision.

The Warriors are NBA champions. Ratings are at stake. An epic dynasty for the 73-9 Warriors is on the line.

Perhaps the lenient Green ruling is part of the divine right of kings, and I don"t mean LeBron James.

Source: http://www.cleveland.com/livingston/index.ssf/2016/05/nba_fails_to_suspend_golden_st.html

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