Channing Frye: “Of course” Cavaliers tried to bait Draymond Green into technical, suspension in 2016 Finals

There usually is a moment during an NBA playoff series when one team knows it will lose — not during the deciding game, but after an earlier loss when the realization hits one side it does not have the answers, the players or the tactics to win the series.

That is what the Cleveland Cavaliers looked like after losing Game 4 at home to the Warriors in 2016. Golden State had won comfortably and looked in command up 3-1 in the series. It was evident in the body language vibe of the Cleveland players directly after that game that they lacked the answers to solve a fully loaded Warriors squad.

Then one thing changed — Draymond Green was suspended for Game 5. With the Warriors up double digits and less than three minutes to go in Game 4, Green had needlessly kicked LeBron James in the groin. The NBA reviewed the play after the fact — as it does all plays — and determined it a flagrant, which triggered an automatic suspension for Green because of the flagrant fouls he had accumulated during the playoffs. Green being out was the first domino to fall in what became the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history.

The Warriors have always thought the Cavaliers baited Green into committing that foul. On The Athletic’s A King’s Reign podcast about LeBron’s career, former Cavalier Channing Frye proudly admitted the Warriors were right, the Cavs were trying to bait Green (hat tip Sam Quinn of CBS Sports).

“Of course [the Cavs baited Green]. What do you mean? Of course. Everybody was trying to bait him! Are you joking? He shouldn’t have had that many fouls. He shouldn’t have been kicking people in their wee-wee. It’s not our fault. We’re supposed to take advantage, hey, if somebody’s shoe is untied, I’m gonna step on their laces. No harm, no foul. It is part of the game. He knew we were baiting him. If you watch that game, everyone was trying to bait him. And they’re mad about it? You know what you should have been mad about? The other 25 technicals, crazy technicals.”

Frye is right — baited or not, Green put himself in position to be given the technical and get suspended. He took the bait.

Green’s suspension changed the vibe around Cleveland. At practice before Game 5, the Cavaliers saw a path (beat the Warriors without Green in Game 5, win Game 6 at home, then in a Game 7 anything can happen). Plenty of other things had to fall into place for that comeback, most notably an injury to Warriors center and defensive anchor Andrew Bogut that kept him out, but also LeBron playing maybe the three best games of his legendary career. Everything started to break the Cavaliers’ way.

It led to the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history.

It also led to Green getting on the phone after that Game 7 loss with Kevin Durant and telling him that the Warriors needed him to come to the Bay Area. One salary cap spike later, KD was in a Warriors uniform and one of the great NBA teams ever won the next couple of NBA titles.