National Basketball Association

LeBron: What Draymond Green said to me crossed the line

Published Jun. 11, 2016 1:16 a.m. ET

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Draymond Green brought out a side of LeBron James that not many people have seen before during Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday.

James and Green got tangled up over a loose ball late in the fourth quarter, resulting in an altercation that caused James to completely lose his cool.

Looks like Draymond swung for LeBron's groin, then his arm pic.twitter.com/n5tzbbX5Vh
— Kenny Ducey (@KennyDucey) June 11, 2016

While Green, who has a reputation for hitting opponents below the belt (and getting away with it), took an apparent cheap shot at LeBron's private parts, James said it wasn't just the dirty play that had him so upset.

"Draymond said something that I don't agree with," James explained after the game. "I'm all cool with the competition, I'm all fine with that, but some of the words that came out of his mouth were a little bit overboard. Being a guy with pride, a guy with three kids and a family, things of that nature, just some things go overboard, and that's where he took it."

James reportedly told ESPN's Chris Broussard that Green called him "the B word," which is what "got him going."

Broussard also noted that James said he "can't remember ever being that upset on an NBA court before."

The blowup was certainly uncharacteristic of LeBron, who has always been a level-headed, rational player, even when things don't go his way.

It's obvious that Green got inside LeBron's head, and the cheap shot immediately followed by the name-calling, set him off in a way we've never seen before.

Regardless, you can't help but wonder just how much of LeBron's frustration stems from the realization that he's about to go home without a ring, once again.