Disgraced former NBA referee Tim Donaghy says he thinks the NBA suspended Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green to give the Cleveland Cavaliers a better chance to extend the NBA Finals.

"I think when you look at the overt acts that Green has committed before, they were definitely more severe than this act, and yet he's gonna end up with a flagrant foul and suspension because of it," Donaghy told SInow.com. "In the past, I believe it was disregarded because (the Warriors) were down in the series. Here, they're up in the series, so I think it's a situation where, with that, it gives Cleveland a better chance of prolonging the series."

The Cavaliers defeated Golden State 112-97 in Monday's Game 5 to cut the Warriors lead to 3-2 in the best-of-seven series. Game 6 will be played Thursday at Cleveland.

Green was assessed a flagrant 1 foul by the league after hitting LeBron James in the groin while James attempted to step over him during Game 4. The flagrant 1 foul led to a mandatory one-game suspension, forcing Green to sit out Game 5.

Donaghy also said also claimed the league seems to favor teams that are down in a playoff series.

"Definitely indirectly with the tape sessions that took place and how they would show you plays that they wanted you to concentrate on in the game," Donaghy said of how the league allegedly influenced referees to officiate games a certain way. "It was always a situation where the team down in the series was going to benefit from those calls."

This isn't the first time Donaghy has made such allegations about the NBA manipulating the outcome of games. In a 2008 court filing, he alleged the NBA encouraged referees to call bogus fouls to affect results, and that the league frowned upon referees called technical fouls on the league's marquee players. He also alleged that the results of the 2008 NBA Finals between the Lakers and Celtics were manipulated to boost TV ratings and attendance.

Donaghy was forced out of the league in July 2007 after an FBI investigation alleged he bet on games that he officiated during his last two seasons and that he made calls affecting the point spread in those games. He pleaded guilty in August 2007 to conspiracy to engage in wire fraud and transmitting betting information through interstate commerce. He spent more than a year in prison.

-- Geoffrey C. Arnold | @geoffreyCarnold