James loses his cool as Cavaliers pushed to the brink

[left-of-center2012]

(Reuters) - With his latest tilt at a third NBA title seemingly slipping away with Friday's Game Four defeat to Golden State, Cleveland's LeBron James allowed his frustrations to boil over onto the court.

James wrestled with Golden State’s Draymond Green and barked at league MVP Stephen Curry in the closing minutes of a 108-97 loss that pushed him to the brink of a familiar Finals downfall.

James and Green got tangled up with just under three minutes remaining, and as the Warriors forward fell to the floor James stepped over him.
The two exchanged words as a heated James had to be held back by team mates.

His frustrations seemed to reach boiling point in the fourth quarter on Friday when he initiated trash-talk with Curry, who has replaced him as the face of the NBA.

Having been beaten for the title by the San Antonio Spurs in 2014 and overpowered by the Warriors last year, another Finals failure would drop James to a career 2-5 record in NBA Championship series.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/james-loses-cool-cavaliers-pushed-brink-062526896--nba.html

(Is James a whiner and not a winner?)

[proverbialwisdom]

1. Spin.

http://www.sportingnews.com/nba/news/draymond-green-kicks-nba-finals-warriors-cavs-charles-barkley-video/1mq6a0q9nn1cx1dv2kry9bblmw

http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/golden-states-draymond-green-playoff-fracas-39775216
http://thebiglead.com/2016/06/11/draymond-green-lebron-james-punch-groin/

http://grantland.com/features/nba-golden-state-warriors-draymond-green-michigan-state-spartans/

[underpants]

2. The best player I've ever seen n/t

[left-of-center2012]

3. Steph Curry MVP 2 years in a row

That's why James gets angry.

[c588415]

5. Agreed!

[awoke_in_2003]

4. I was really pulling for the Cavs...

as an ex-Clevelander (well, it is my adopted hometown, lived there from the age of 13 to 24) I really wanted to see something good happen. The East just cannot beat the West. I don't think the Cavs could beat the West's 4th seed.

[proverbialwisdom]

6. NBA: Warriors' Green suspended for Game 5

http://www.nba.com/2016/news/06/12/draymond-green-suspended-nba-finals-game-5-golden-state-warriors.ap/

Warriors' Green suspended for Game 5
POSTED: Jun 12, 2016 9:01 PM ET

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Green was suspended for Game 5 on Monday night after the league assessed a Flagrant 1 foul for striking James in the groin during a scuffle in the closing minutes of the Warrior's Game 4 victory Friday night.

James and Green got tangled up on the play, and James stepped over Green as the two got up - a move widely viewed as a show of disrespect in league circles. Green then swiped at James' groin in retaliation and threw another jab at the four-time MVP that did not connect.

"There's no way you can say this is an acceptable act," Kiki VanDeWeghe, the NBA's executive vice president of basketball operations, told The Associated Press in a phone interview.

Especially for a player like Green, who entered the finals one flagrant foul or two technicals short of a mandated suspension.

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[left-of-center2012]

7. "James stepped over Green ... a move widely viewed as a show of disrespect in league"

It was intentional, to get a reaction from Green, and unfortunately Green reacted.
James is an asshole.