How many flagrant fouls would earn Draymond Green another NBA Finals suspension?

LeBron James, Draymond Green

Golden State playmaker Draymond Green has little room for emotional error in Thursday night’s Game 6 of the NBA Finals.

(Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com)

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Golden State forward Draymond Green said all the right things Wednesday, his first time addressing the media since being suspended for Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

“I have to be better and not put myself in that position to where it is a decision, where there is an investigation,” Green said of his Game 5 suspension. “I have to be better for my teammates as a leader of this team.”

It’s easy to confess that when emotions and adrenaline are under control. It’s a totally different situation during an intense on-court moment. Will Green be able to keep his composure if he feels slighted Thursday night?

He better, because the consequences are steep.

Green has accumulated four Flagrant Foul points during the postseason. His fourth came when he punched Cavaliers forward LeBron James in the groin in Game 4. It earned him a one-game suspension, forcing him to sit out the 112-97 home loss on Monday. Thus the Warriors’ first chance at a repeat title slipped away.

Chance 2 comes in Game 6 at The Q on Thursday. But the stakes are high for Green’s self control. If he receives a Flagrant 1, he would be suspended for Game 7 if the Cavaliers force it. If he’s hit with a Flagrant 2, he would be ejected for the rest of Game 6, and banned for the finale as well.

In other words, he has no room for an emotional error. He also has five technical fouls in these playoffs. A double-technical — which would seem improbable — would also equate to an ejection and Game 7 ban.

He’ll have to be on his best behavior, something that has been an issue the last few months.

“I think I have a strong belief that if I play Game 5, we win,” Green said. “But I didn’t because I put myself in a situation where I wasn’t able to play.”