The dust-up between Draymond Green and LeBron James that has resulted in Green’s surprising suspension for Game 5 of the NBA Finals is the big NBA news. Because the Finals games haven’t been close — no matter who wins. Golden State won the first two by a total of 50. Then Cleveland blew out the Warriors at home before the Warriors stymied the Cavs in Game 4, winning 108-97.
Green and James got into it and the NBA now says that Green intentionally hit James in the groin, an automatic suspension for a flagrant-1 level foul. Before the suspension for the physical contact (James has been almost equally physical in defending Steph Curry), the news was more about the words exchanged between Green and James and the two teams, dialogue that has only amp’d up since. Hearing about the suspension, Warriors guard Klay Thompson said he thought LeBron James’ reaction to Green’s trash-talking — a normal factor in any game — was because James’s “feelings just got hurt.” James had a weary, soldierly response: “It’s so hard to take the high road. I’ve been doing it for 13 years. It’s so hard to continue to do it, and I’m going to do it again.”