"He shouldn't have been kicking people" - Channing Frye reveals Cavs actively baited Draymond Green during 2016 NBA Finals
Channing Frye and the Cleveland Cavaliers had a strategy against Draymond Green and the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals.
This is what the retired forward of the Cavs said during an appearance on The Athletic's A King's Reign podcast.
Per the 2016 NBA champion, the Cavs were entirely aware of Green’s situation when he had three flagrant foul points, and they were trying to bait him into a suspension.
"Of course," Frye responded when asked if the Cavs baited 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.
"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."
Were the Cavaliers trying to bait Draymond Green into getting suspended from the 2016 NBA Finals?
"Everyone was trying to bait him, and they're mad about it." — @channingfrye
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leb… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… pic.twitter.com/9aKfRe0IFN
In 2016, the Warriors were up 3-1 in the series after winning Game 4 and were one win away from their second straight title.
Late in the game, Draymond Green committed a meaningless foul on LeBron James by hitting him in the groin, with the Warriors up 10 and the game clock showing less than three minutes.
The NBA reviewed the play and deemed it a flagrant, automatically suspending Green, as this was his fourth flagrant foul in the playoffs. Cleveland won Game 5 with Green sidelined, and went on to steal the series and win it all in Game 7.
To this day, the Warriors have remained frustrated by the league's decision to suspend Green from Game 5. Green himself has even accused James of baiting him into the foul.
Warriors could have not lost the title if Draymond Green had avoided suspension
Draymond Green would have never been suspended if he had avoided committing that unnecessary foul. The three flagrant fouls he had committed in the postseason also played a vital role in his suspension, based on the league's statement.
"While Draymond Green's actions in Game 4 do not merit a suspension as a standalone act, the number of flagrant points he has earned triggers a suspension for Game 5," then-NBA executive vice president of basketball operations Kiki Vandeweghe said in a statement before Game 5.
On a 2017 episode of E:60, Green admitted he believes it was his fault the Warriors lost the series as a result of his suspension.
Many also believe that Draymond Green’s suspension helped the Cavs turn things around and force their major comeback as he was Golden State's best player in that series, doing everything on the floor.
Green had 32 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists in the must-win Game 7, but Golden State eventually lost the game and the series.
Green and the Warriors got the best of the Cavaliers in their four straight NBA Finals meetings from 2015 to 2018. Golden State won three of those series, including two straight after the addition of Kevin Durant to the team (2017, 2018).