As a child, I read and reread a Ray Bradbury short story about a hunter who traveled back to the distant past to bag a dinosaur, illegally stepped off a levitating walkway and mistakenly crushed a butterfly. When he returned to his time, everything was the same, and everything — language, culture, politics — was subtly off.
So it is with the Golden State Warriors, ordained as the champions after Game 4 of the N.B.A. finals, a Jaguar-smooth blend of speed and shooting and strength. Then Draymond Green, the defensive heart of this team, took one too many shots to the groin of opposing players, and was suspended for a single game, Monday night’s Game 5.