Physical nature of Game 4 almost cost Warriors' Draymond Green

CLEVELAND – With blood boiling over, heated words flowing and all sorts of mayhem on the verge of breaking loose near the end of Friday night’s grudge match at The Q, Andrew Bogut began yelling from the Golden State Warriors bench as the steam rose from Draymond Green and LeBron James.

“Don’t get a T! Don’t get a T!” Bogut remembers screaming, a warning for Green, who is one flagrant foul and two technical fouls from drawing a suspension from the NBA.

Green and James were docked with double fouls, but it’s not over.

The testy exchange provides a key subplot heading into Game 5 at Oakland on Monday night, when the Warriors can claim a repeat championship crown – while speculation mounts that Green might be subject to another NBA review.

After the Warriors scored a technical knockout with a 108-97 decision that gives them a 3-1 series lead against the Cleveland Cavaliers, James spared no words in expressing disgust for Green.

“Some of the words that came out of his mouth were a bit overboard,” James said, “and being a guy with pride, a guy with three kids and a family, things of that nature, some of the things just go over board and that’s where he took it.”

Reportedly, Green uttered an expletive at James during the altercation that began when Green seemed to strike James in the groin. Green wound up on the floor after James swung his left arm, then after the Warriors swing man swung to his feet, they jostled more. Ultimately, they were separated by teammates while exchanging pleasantries.

“Game 4 of the NBA Finals,” Green said when asked about the beef. “It’s time to man up.”

Green wouldn’t divulge what was actually said on the court.

It probably wouldn’t generate as much of a buzz had Green not also been at the center of controversy during the Western Conference Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, when he drew a flagrant foul for kicking Steven Adams in the groin.

“I don’t know what should happen,” James said. “It’s not my call. That’s the league office. They’ll take a look at it. We all saw it in the locker room. You know, like I said, as a competitor, I love going against Draymond, and I’m all about going out there are leaving it out on the floor. But when it gets a little bit more than what it should be, that’s what caused me to have words with him.”

Regardless, it’s a far cry from the talk about the Warriors after they were blown out here in Game 3.

On Wednesday night, Warriors coach Steve Kerr slammed his team for being “soft” and Green pointed a finger at himself for allowing his team being “bullied.”

That was then. On Friday night, the Warriors had a completely different personality on a number of levels, including the re-emergence of the Splash Brothers – Steph Curry and Klay Thompson -- who finally had their long-awaited breakout games in the series.

Curry came alive for 38 points, while Thompson poured in 25 as the Warriors hit on 47.2% of their three-point attempts (17 of 36). When the treys are falling the Warriors are apt to find their free-wheeling rhythm. Yet that was complemented by grit, reflected with a 43-40 rebounding edge and physical defense that disrupted shots.

The red-hot shooting did much to bury the Cavs, but the dirty work with the physical presence is what ultimately wore down a team – and maybe even frustrated their best player – that lost at home for the first time this season during the playoffs.

“We wanted to respond after the last game, and play tougher,” Bogut said. “There weren’t any adjustments with X’s and O’s. The key thing was, ‘Let’s hit them first.’ “

And maybe last, too.