Flap leaves LeBron upset, Green in jeopardy
CLEVELAND — Draymond Green could once again be under league review and face possible suspension for contact with an opponent’s groin, but LeBron James seemed more upset with Green’s words than his actions.
With just less than three minutes left in the Golden State Warriors‘ 108-97 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday night, Green and James got tangled. James stepped over Green after Green fell to the court, and Green swung his arm and appeared to make contact with James’ groin area. James immediately turned around, and the two players went chest-to-chest as play continued.
Moments later, they got involved chasing a rebound, and each was called for a foul. They then had to be separated.
“I don’t know what should happen. It’s not my call. That’s the league office. They’ll take a look at it,” James said. “We all saw it in the locker room. You know, like I said, as a competitor, I love going against Draymond, and I’m all about going out there and leaving it out on the floor. But when it gets a little bit more than what it should be, that’s what caused me to have words with him.”
If Green were to be assessed a flagrant foul after league review, he would receive an automatic suspension for Monday’s Game 5. Earlier in the postseason, Green was assessed a flagrant foul and fined $25,000 for kicking the Oklahoma City Thunder‘s Steven Adams between the legs.
Green and James have a business relationship through the social media platform Uninterrupted, which James owns.
“We got tangled up; it is what it is,” Green said in an interview with ESPN Radio. “I’ve got mad respect for LeBron and what he’s done. He’s a competitor; I’m a competitor. It’s Game 4 of the Finals. I don’t think anyone expects anything less. And if they do, they’re expecting the wrong thing.”
James was angered by what Green said to him during the incident. Green declined to comment on what he said, saying he would not repeat what was said on the floor. A source told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin that Green upset James by calling him a “bitch.”
“Draymond just said something that I don’t agree with. I’m all cool with the competition. I’m all fine with that, but some of the words that came out of his mouth were a little bit overboard,” James said. “Being a guy with pride, a guy with three kids and a family, things of that nature, some things just go overboard, and that’s where he took it, and that was it.”
