The Golden State Warriors have a 3-1 series edge against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals as they play Game 4 at Oracle Arena.
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The Warriors can finish the series in Game 5 on Monday (9 p.m ET, ABC).
And while his impact on the Celtics isn’t at the same level as Green is to the Warriors, there’s no mistaking that part of why Boston exceeded the expectations of so many this season was because of the growth in Smart’s game this past season.
Kerr learned of the suspension from general manager Bob Myers and pulled Green aside to break the news to him.
Green has found himself in another postseason mess. “So it’s just a tough situation for our team”.
James was asked to respond to Thompson’s remarks. “I’m disappointed for him that he can’t play in a big game”. “They made their decision, and we need to get ready for Game 5, and that’s what we’ll do today”. The only thing that will matter is defending, as we have seen that out-scoring the Warriors with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson hitting three’s is almost impossible. Sources say that James was upset after Green had called him a “b****”. I think it’s like a lottery decision, like the draft. “We understand what we’re playing for, and that’s all that matters. We’ve got to come back to Cleveland, don’t we?” A statement announcing the discipline said that Green “made unnecessary contact with a retaliatory swipe of his hand to the groin” of James.
If the league charges Green with a Flagrant Foul 1, he will be suspended for Game 5 on Monday due to the amount of flagrant fouls he’s already received in the playoffs. He received a flagrant 1 for throwing down Houston Rockets forward Michael Beasley in the first round. If the Warriors win without Green – who has missed only one other game this season – James will be 0-for-2 since taking his talents back to North Beach.
The main problem is this series is that the smothering defense of the Warriors has plagued LeBron James in the paint and taken away his layup and dunks in the paint. Players had to be separated and a double foul was called. The two got tangled up. I don’t care who you are. He’s a competitor; I’m a competitor. “And I think we’ll give ourselves a great chance to win”.
And while the Celtics have had a few head-scratching moments with Smart, you can rest assured they are just as supportive.
James and Green exchanged heated words, with the Cleveland star saying “some of the words that came out of his mouth were a little bit overboard”, while Green would only say, “Stuff that’s said on the court you will never get from me”.
“Draymond said something that I don’t agree with. But we’ve got to play through officiating”. But Golden State surged again, and coupled by the Cavaliers’ struggles on offense, the Warriors went on a 13-1 run fueled by triples from Harrison Barnes for a 93-84 lead with over five minutes left.
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James also addressed issue and was careful with his words because he said he didn’t want to pay the standard $25,000 fine for public criticism of the officiating.
