Warriors players ripped LeBron James for breaking an unwritten rule and baiting Draymond Green with a 'disrespectful' move
The NBA announced Sunday that Draymond Green will be suspended for Game 5 following an altercation with LeBron James in Game 4.
James and Green got tangled up during a fourth-quarter play, when Green fell to the floor. James stepped over him, and Green took a swipe at James, making contact near James' groin. The two went face-to-face two more times during the play before James had to be held back from Green after they exchanged words.
The NBA reviewed the play and gave Green a flagrant-1 foul. Because it was Green's fourth flagrant foul of this postseason, he was automatically suspended for a game.
And while Green's swipe at James' groin may have raised some eyebrows - particularly because of Green's past incidents this postseason - many of the Warriors felt it was James who made a dirty move by stepping over Green.
Following the announcement of Green's suspension, Warriors players ripped into LeBron.
"It's messed to suspend a man over nothing," Warriors center Mo Speights said. "If somebody put [their] balls on your head, what are you supposed to do? Balls are on the back of his head. It's kind of messed up man, but hey.
"A guy does something like that, you kind of lose respect for him," Speights continued. "I had a lot of respect for LeBron over his career, since he was in high school. But, do things like that to get a guy suspended? That kind of disrespectful."
Stephen Curry was less intense of his criticism, but he added, "I don't know what LeBron's intention was. You have to ask him. Obviously, Draymond thought it was disrespectful and wanted to get up and say something, so that was his reaction to it. I would have probably done the same thing."
TNT analyst and former NBA player Charles Barkley said on Bleacher Report radio Sunday that Green had a "moral obligation" to retaliate against LeBron for stepping over him. "That's really disrespectful to step over a guy. You're supposed to pop him in his junk if he steps over you like that."
After Game 4, LeBron was asked about the confrontation with Green and suggested Green said something that went over the line.
"Draymond just said something that I don't agree with," James said Friday. "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, and 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."
According to ESPN's Ethan Sherwood Strauss, several Warriors players feel that James lobbied for Green's suspension. As part of the NBA's review process, they interviewed both James and Green about the incident. Green's suspension earned James something of a "tattletale" reputation with the Warriors.
Warriors guard Klay Thompson scoffed at the notion of James being offended by trash talk.
"I'm just kind of shocked some guys take it so personal," Thompson said. "It's like, I mean, you know, it's a man's league and I've heard a lot of bad things on that court, but at the end of the day it stays on the court."
Speights added, "If you're a player in this league you want to compete for a championship, you going to have to play. Don't try to get nobody suspended. You supposed to be the best in the league. You supposed to be the best in the world. Prove it."
James, of course, bristled at these comments, insisting on taking the "high road," despite being tempted to respond to the Warriors' comments.
Though no Warriors players responded to this, Stephen Curry's wife, Ayesha, seemed to make a pointed retort to James' remark.
Speights had one more thought to add.
Green won't be there, but Game 5 should get interesting.
Watch the play that ignited the controversy and suspension below: