OAKLAND – So much for these NBA Finals being a mutual admiration society affair between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers.
In the wake of Tristan Thompson being fined $25,000 for shoving the ball in Draymond Green’s face and failing to leave the floor in a timely manner when he was ejected at the end of Game 1, it’s quite clear that the emotions will spill over into Game 2 on Sunday. As Thompson made his way toward the Oracle Arena tunnel late in overtime with the Cavs’ security staff, he could be seen telling Green to meet him outside. Green, who’s never one to back down from a challenge, said he’s more than willing to do just that – so long as he doesn’t lose any money in the process.
“I can’t meet him outside of (the arena), because I’ll still get fined,” Green said. “But I can meet him in the streets any day. So you can say (that) somebody (should) meet you at the bus, (but) I’m not (going). I’m going to keep taking care of my family. I’m not going to meet you at the bus.”
For a moment, it sounded as if Green was backing down. Until he wasn’t.
“But you know (in) the summers, you can meet anybody anywhere,” he continued. “So all that ‘Meet me outside, meet me at the bus,’ like I ain’t interested in giving up no money for that. But if you want to see me somewhere else, that’s fine – anytime.”
Green wasn’t the only one taking part in an edgy finish to the series opener.
With 34 seconds left and the Warriors up 11 in overtime, LeBron James blocked a Steph Curry layup off the glass and the two began exchanging words. Curry chirped first, saying something to James while approaching him. James then lightly shoved him while walking away, with the Warriors’ Klay Thompson eventually saying a few words as well.
“It was a bunch of nothing,” Curry told USA TODAY Sports after Game 1 about the sequence. “The very last possession of the game, of overtime. (James) said something. I said something, and then Tristan lost his mind for a second, and that became a distraction from the fact that we were closing out an overtime game. Emotions kind of flaring at the end, and it could have gone either way.”
Yet even with Green’s sordid past when it comes to suspension, he made it clear that he’s glad Tristan Thompson wasn’t suspended.
“Them suspending somebody else don’t make me feel good,” said Green, whose Game 5 suspension in the 2016 Finals against Cleveland played such a big part in Golden State’s collapse after they led the series 3-1. “That’s in the past and it is what it is. I don’t want nobody to get suspended. That does nothing for us, or for me. I’m happy he only got a $25,000 fine. …I maybe (would have) gotten suspended, but ain’t nobody else me so I really don’t care about that.”
What he does care about, of course, is playing with that same level of passion from here until the end.
“You’re trying to win a championship, so there should be emotions involved,” Green said. “And if not, then whoever’s emotions aren’t involved should go sit down somewhere. This is what you work your whole life for, so it should carry over.”
