27 July 2023 , 17:15
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Former Cleveland Cavaliers star Channing Frye has revealed that LeBron James and Co engaged in gamesmanship in an attempt to get Draymond Green suspended from the 2016 NBA Finals.
The Golden State Warriors were one game away from their second straight NBA Championship, leading the finals 3-1 after Game Four but late on in the game, Green committed a foul on James, hitting him in the groin, and after a review, he was automatically suspended.
The Cavaliers went on to win the remaining three games to snatch the 2016 NBA Championship from the Warriors, and former Cleveland center Frye,40, has revealed that they deliberately tried to "bait" Green into a suspension, which worked.
"Of course," Frye responded on The Athletic's A King's Reign podcast when asked about trying to provoke a reaction out of Green.
"What do you mean? Of course! Everybody was trying to bait him! Are you joking? He shouldn't have had that many fouls. He shouldn't have been kicking people in their wee-wee. It's not our fault. We're supposed to take advantage.
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"Hey, if somebody's shoe is untied, I'm gonna step on their laces. No harm, no foul. It is part of the game. He knew we were baiting him. If you watch that game, everyone was trying to bait him. And they're mad about it. You know what you should have been mad about? The other 25 technicals, crazy technicals."
Green and the Warriors bounced back from their 2016 defeat, winning back-to-back NBA Championships in 2017 and 2018. The Warriors also clinched the title in 2022, which was Green's fourth with the franchise.
A blow to LeBron James' groin from Draymond Green resulted in a one-game suspension (Getty)The power forward was suspended for a game without pay during the playoff series with the Sacramento Kings after stepping on the chest of center Domantas Sabonis. Green was unable to help the Warriors retain their title, crashing out in the next round to a James-inspired Los Angeles Lakers.
The Warriors' playoff humiliation also looked to be Green's last involvement with the franchise after the veteran decline his player option for the 2023-24 season. Green looked set to hit free agency before to a four-year, $100 million (£78.6m) contract earlier this month.
"What he means in terms of this organization and this team, winning at the highest level, we feel like we have to have him," New Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy said of the former Defensive Player of the Year. While Golden State's head coach Steve Kerr said: "Look, if Draymond is not back, we're not a championship contender. We know that. He's that important to winning and to who we are. I absolutely want him back."