Game 4 of the series between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Indiana Pacers again offered some heated scenes, many of which involved Pacers forward Lance Stephenson. This was discussed after the 104:100 victory of the Cavaliers LeBron James and Jeff Green.
9 seconds before the end Stephenson had brought Green to the ground, which the Cavs-Forward of course had a lot to say about. After the game, however, Green’s temper cooled down again: “To be honest, it was nothing,” said Green. “I reacted because I can’t allow him to do that, but that’s all there was to it. He won’t fight with me and I won’t fight with him.”
It’s just part of the game: “It’s not worth it to either of us. If we wanted to fight, there’s a huge parking lot out there where we could do it. But at the end of the day, my job is to stay calm and make the free throw. It’s not worth wasting the extra energy on him,” Green said.
Previously in the fourth quarter, Stephenson had also clashed with James, as so often before. He pushed him and got a technical foul for it, the 16th of his playoff career. “I shouldn’t have gotten tech for that,” James said afterwards. “A time-out is taken, and then this guy comes following me to my bank. I touch him lightly and he falls back by a metre. Come on.”
James also criticized himself: “I should have known better. I’ve been there since grade school. It’s like when I tell you a joke and you get caught laughing. That’s what happened. Lance told me a joke, I laughed, the teacher saw it and now I have to go to the principal. That’s what happened.”
After the Cavs’ victory in game 4, it is now 2-2 in the series. Game 5 takes place in the night on Thursday at 1 am.