When Green spat out those words, everyone present was stunned.
Not only the players from the Cavaliers, but also the players from the Warriors.
Curry, who had originally walked up to Green to pull him aside, was also left with his hand suspended in the air, eyes wide open.
Come on man, you went too far!
Although this trash talk wasn’t invented by Green, it was something Haslem had spewed during a match against the Thunders after Heat traded James.
But the context of Green’s remark was much more vicious than Haslem’s.
Because at the time, James was no longer with the Heat, and Haslem was talking as an opponent.
But Green, he’s talking about a teammate!
We’ve seen trash talk directed at opponents plenty, but trash talk directed this severely at a teammate is unprecedented, and Green might as well be the last to do it too.
Moreover, the painful point of this statement is that it is damn factual.
In 2015, the Warriors had already won the championship, while James, in his 14-year career, had not yet won a single championship!
Admittedly, there were clear reasons why Green would spew such trash talk.
Since James joined the Warriors, Green’s stats had significantly declined, reduced to averaging for only three categories per game.
If it weren’t for James involving Green in large commercial projects outside the court, their conflicts would have erupted long ago.
Then Hansen seized the opportunity to ignite the fuse of their conflict.
That was by planting a seed of disagreement between the two, letting it root and sprout.
By the time of this finals, the Cleveland fans’ chants of "Lebron will trade you" made it bear fruit.
If the Warriors were to win the championship this year, then such a conflict might be overshadowed by victory, but now the Warriors are on the brink of elimination, and further endurance has lost its meaning.
Failing to clinch the championship after forming the "Universe Warriors" means someone has to take the blame, and Green, with his declining stats and performance, is the most suitable scapegoat.
Hansen was probably the only one in the arena who wasn’t that surprised.
As an opponent since their NCAA days, he understood better than others the essence of Green, the head of this anti-fan club.
Unlike James who pretended to be smart, Green actually had some real smarts.
It might seem like he’s impulsive now, but each of his words showed his meticulous planning.
In every sentence, there was the word "we", binding himself with the Splash Brothers of the Warriors.
In this context, they were the drivers, and James was just a passenger who joined midway.
This point is exactly the same as when he trashed Durant in "history".
Moreover, easily overlooked is that to keep the Warriors management in check, James signed a 1+1 contract, which means he can become a free agent at any time.
After being trashed , if James has any dignity, it’s unlikely he will lick his face and stay with the Warriors.
Of course, there’s another possibility: James demands that the Warriors management trade Green, or he walks away.
In that case, Green would indeed be outsmarting himself.
Thinking of that, Hansen couldn’t suppress a laugh.
Only feels satisfying, honestly.
Green’s previous words made Irving request a trade that almost wrecked the Cavaliers, and now he’s in a tight spot himself.
Just shows that Green "bit the hand that fed him", not realizing Han’s good intentions, who had previously kindly advised Green to stay calm and endure for the sake of business, yet Green didn’t listen at all!
When halftime ended, James didn’t appear on the field.
According to social media, James’ groin injury had recurred, making him unable to play in the second half.
This deja vu classic "saving face" is actually a form of silent protest.
Since Green said they could win without him, let’s see if they play better or worse without him.
The result... the Warriors indeed played impressively well in the third quarter!
Green might have a foul mouth, but his mental state is indeed excellent.
He accurately hit his shots in the third quarter, but even more importantly, Thompson experienced a breakout in the third quarter.
During the previous bonfire night, Han talked to JR worrying about the "Game 6 Klay" phenomenon, and it came true.
Classically making contested shots from all angles, borrowing East University fans’ words, "Buddha blesses" and "Buddha appears".
If previously Hansen thought these were superstitions, now a more reasonable explanation is that Thompson entered The Zone.
He isn’t all-around but focused and excels, has strong endurance, and possesses a strong mentality under adversity, and Thompson met all the conditions.
Of course, this was also related to the fact that the Cavaliers had used a lot of physical energy on defense in the first half, leading to a decline in overall defensive intensity in the second half.
Everything converged at the most suitable point.
Thompson made 6 three-pointers in the third quarter alone, scoring 22 points, and under his lead, the Warriors outscored 40 to 30 in the third quarter, swiftly closing the lead to 10 points.
These "veterans" of the Warriors seemed to have planned, playing to show the management that they’re better without James! Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs 𝗻𝗼𝘷𝗲𝗹•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝕟𝕖𝕥
However, as the game entered the fourth quarter, James’ absence started to impact.
The Warriors’ third-quarter scoring wasn’t just Thompson’s effort alone, other key players, including Iguodala who started in place of James, also burned through a lot of energy.
At this juncture, none of them had the stamina to stay on the court and lead the team.
Then Wade, who hadn’t performed much in the first half, exploded during this period.