Does NBA’s suspension of Warriors’ Draymond Green give Cleveland new life?

The Cavaliers need a miracle. No NBA team has ever come back from down 3-1 to win an NBA Finals. Not one.

So heading back to Oakland where the Warriors are the best team in basketball (they are they best team in basketball everywhere but are particularly tough at home), the Cavs looked to be licking their wounds, waiting to be ousted.

Until the NBA dropped a bombshell — Draymond Green has been given a Flagrant 1 for his “altercation” with LeBronJames in Game 4 and will sit out Game 5.

“The cumulative points system is designed to deter flagrant fouls in our game,” NBA executive vice president of basketball operations Kiki VanDeWeghe said in a 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.”

James also got a technical foul for the incident, when the two got tangled and seemed to get pretty fired up in Golden State’s 108-97 win in Game 4, but based on Green’s prior violations (he now has four flagrant foul points), he gets an automatic suspension.

Immediately after the announcement, conspiracy theories ran rampant, like this one from TNT’s Reggie Miller (via twitter):

“Would bet my right arm if this series was even at 2-2 Draymond wouldn’t be suspended for GM5. What happened in OKC was way worse..”

In theory, if the Cavs can take advantage away from home in Game 5, they will have the chance to tie things at 3-games apiece back at home in Game 6.

Things tip off in Game 5 at 9 p.m. Monday on ABC.