Draymond Green Flagrant Foul on LeBron James 'a Message,' Says Tyronn Lue

Things got chippy when Draymond Green was called for a flagrant-1 foul after knocking down LeBron James during the second quarter of the Golden State Warriors' 126-91 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday.

Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue addressed the play in question following the team's practice Wednesday, per ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin:

"

Was it a dirty play? I don't know. Was it a statement? I think so. He didn't want to let LeBron get in the open court and get a dunk or layup, and he took a hard foul. He wanted to try to send a message to our team.

Of course, it's easier to do when you're up 25.

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The Warriors were up only 52-35 at the time—not by 25—but Cleveland's coach made sure to note how the tables were turned when the two teams met on Christmas Day:

"

When you're down and you're complaining about every call when you're down — when we played earlier this season — it's different. Both teams are the same. When we get off to fast starts and we're running, having fun, high-fiving, and they did the same thing the other night, so both teams are the same. When we're playing well, it's hard to put us out. When they're playing well, it's hard to put them out also. It's easier to do when you're up 25 than when you're down.

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The Cavaliers won that first game 109-108 after Kyrie Irving, just as he did in the closing moments of Game 7 of the NBA Finals, nailed a go-ahead shot with three seconds remaining.

On Tuesday, Green said the foul on James came "in the heat of the moment in the game," per ESPN.com's Chris Haynes. "Having some fun. Nothing major."

Of course, Green and James have history going back to last year's NBA Finals. Golden State's star forward was suspended for Game 5 after receiving his fourth flagrant-foul point of the postseason. The league assessed him a flagrant-1 foul after he appeared to take a swipe at James' groin area when the two players got tangled up.

The Warriors and Cavaliers are on a collision course to meet in the NBA Finals for the third straight season. Each team has the best record in its respective conference.