Deprived of fiery power forward Draymond Green, the Golden State Warriors were flat and unfocused on Monday as they fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 5 of the NBA Finals with a chance to secure a second consecutive title.
Green, suspended one game for his scuffle with LeBron James in the previous contest, watched from the neighbouring Oakland Coliseum but still loomed large during a loss that cut Golden State’s lead in the best-of-seven series to 3-2.
Warriors supports chanted “Free Draymond,” held up signs reading #FreeDray and waved cardboard cut-out heads depicting Green wearing a crown.
But it was James and Kyrie Irving who looked free on the floor Monday, each scoring 41 points while exploiting a porous defence missing its defensive backbone.
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“Obviously there’s a void there,” backup point guard Shawn Livingston said of playing without Green.
Forward Harrison Barnes said that while the Warriors, who won a record 73 games during the NBA’s 82-game regular season, missed Green’s energy on the court, Green was relishing the chance to play in a potential clincher on Thursday.
Barnes told Reuters that Green sent teammates a text message after the final buzzer saying he was “ready to go next game.”
“Winning it the next game is going to be most satisfying,” Green said in the text, according to Barnes.
The Warriors will need to play a sharper on Thursday when they return to Cleveland for Green to get that satisfaction.
The looseness that is a hallmark of the Warriors and a quality that led to beautiful basketball during their historic campaign saw its flip side show up on Monday.
Warriors point guard Stephen Curry made careless passes, was beat on defence and could not consistently find the bottom of the basket from beyond the three-point line.
Winning Game Six on the road, which they did last year, will be made even more difficult if the Warriors are missing starting centre Andrew Bogut, who went down with an apparent knee injury in the second half.
Like Green, Bogut is key to the Warriors interior defence.
Warriors reserve Leandro Barbosa said he thought Bogut, like Green, would be ready to go.
“He’s feeling good. I’m sure he’s sore. He’s going to be OK,” Barbosa said.
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