Klay Thompson doesn't regret saying LeBron's 'feelings got hurt' in NBA Finals
The Splash Brother is certain his comment didn't influence the Warriors blowing a 3-1 lead
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1 min read
One of the most contentious moments of the 2016 NBA Finals occurred in Game 4, when Draymond Green and LeBron James got into a bit of a tiff. James had stepped over Green, which prompted the Warriors All-Star to seemingly hit LeBron below the belt. The two then got into a bit of trash talk, where James later revealed that Green had called him a b----.
The Warriors were shocked that James had basically broken the fourth wall of the court, telling reporters what Green said to him. Klay Thompson went even as far to say that James' feelings were hurt by Green's trash talk. Thompson's comment may have fired up James, particularly in Game 6 when the Cavs superstar led his team to victory with a masterful performance of 41 points, 11 assists, eight rebounds, four steals and three blocks.
Whether or not Thompson's comment actually motivated James is unclear. But Thompson doesn't think that was the case.
From ESPN's Chris Haynes:
"I don't think LeBron really went to sleep, pinned that up and used that for motivation. But if he did, it's all right," Thompson said. "We still had three opportunities to close it out, and we didn't. So, I don't think that was the game-changer."
Even with the benefit of hindsight, Thompson remains adamant his verbal jabs didn't add unnecessary fuel to the Cavaliers' fire.
"No. Not at all. Because, at the end of the day, you have to go out there and do it on the court," he said. "It doesn't matter what was said. We lost. We moved on. We're excited about this year."
Thompson has the right approach here. The Warriors had a 3-1 lead and they couldn't close it out. While James was sensational, Golden State didn't protect its series lead or execute in key moments of the last three games. It was up to the Warriors to win, not anyone else and they couldn't do it. Thompson acknowledges this.
Plus there's no point in dwelling in the past. Currently, Golden State has the best record in the league and are motivated to get back to the Finals for the third straight year. And if they win the championship this season, whatever happened with the Warriors in last year's Finals will become part of the distant past.
