Draymond Green: LeBron James and I Have Never Discussed 2016 NBA Finals Flagrant Foul
The 2015-16 Golden State Warriors missed their chance to be remembered as the greatest team of all time in part because they lost three straight times in the NBA Finals to LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers after Draymond Green was suspended for Game 5. However, the forward has never talked with the King about the flagrant foul that led to his suspension.
"What's there to talk about? We'll have that conversation one day. And when we have it, I'll make sure the world sees it," Green said, per Marc J. Spears of Andscape.
Green was assessed a flagrant-1 foul when he, as the NBA put it, "made unnecessary contact with a retaliatory swipe of his hand to the groin" of James when the Cavaliers star stepped over him. That it was his fourth flagrant foul of the playoffs meant an automatic suspension for Game 5.
Golden State was up 3-1 after Game 4 and seemed to be on cruise control toward a second consecutive title. After all, there was no way a team that just won an NBA-best 73 regular-season games would lose three straight.
And then everything switched with Green's suspension.
Cleveland won Game 5 on the road behind 41 points each from James and Kyrie Irving without Green on the floor to provide his stellar defense. The Cavaliers then won Game 6 at home and stunned the basketball world with a 93-89 victory in Game 7.
It was a tipping point in NBA history since the Warriors responded by adding Kevin Durant during the ensuing offseason, which set them up to win the next two titles and extend their stretch of consecutive NBA Finals appearances to five.
Green and James will once again be under the spotlight for a playoff series when the Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers square off in their second-round clash. The stakes aren't quite as high as the NBA Finals, but they both have their eyes on a potential fifth ring.
"At that time, you want to take his head off," Green said. "By the way, the 2023 series won't be no different. We want to take his head off. That's just the competitor in us. And at the end of the day, we're both fighting for one common goal. 'We're on different teams, you're in the way of that.' And so, I think that's always the mindset.
"But, during that moment it's like, 'f--k him.' You want to do all that you can to win the game. And so, that's what it is. But, like I said, it'll always be that when we're competing against each other."
Ideally, for the Warriors, Green won't go over the line again and pick up any flagrant fouls or suspensions. But his patented fire is one thing that makes him who he is, and the reigning champions will need that energy on the floor as they once again look to conquer the King.
