Tom Izzo's Spartans had six seconds and change to get down the court and erase Butler's three-point lead. As Michigan State picked up the ball after letting it bounce up the court, Izzo claimed that the clock started early. He didn't seem to have much of an argument, but he was well on his way to earning a technical anyway.
Luckily, his sophomore forward, Draymond Green, was there to say, "Knock it off, son."
Green managed to guide Izzo away. Did he help save Izzo a T? And if Izzo had been slapped with a technical, with a handful of seconds remaining and down by three in the Final Four, what percentage of the largely Izzo-friendly American public would have turned on him? It probably would have served as an abrasively overworn talking point headed into the off-season, and if Draymond Green did indeed have a hand in preventing it, we should all write him a thank-you note.