If there was one time during these controversial NBA playoffs for Draymond Green where his retaliation against an opponent was understandable, it was probably this one.
Late in the fourth quarter of Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday, Green and LeBron James got into it after James stepped over Green. The Warriors forward said during an interview on NBA TV after the game that he felt disrespected by James’ actions.
“With LeBron, I felt he stepped over me. You’re not just going to step over me like that,” Green told the NBA TV crew. “There’s many routes you can take, don’t step over me like that. We had our words and it is what it is. I don’t care who you are, I’m not going to back down from you. We can do whatever need be.”
You can see video of the incident here.
Though Green’s response to LeBron disrespecting him was understandable if not justified, it’s still notable that Green’s hand happened to hit James in the groin after the step-over. Throughout the playoffs, Green has seemed to have a knack for landing those shots.
