Kyrie Says Draymond's Trash Talk Motivated the Cavs in Game 4

In the aftermath of Game 4, the Cavs gave Draymond Green credit for giving them some extra motivation to extend the series.

Kyrie Irving Draymond Green Game 4 NBA Finals 2017
USA Today Sports

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) shoots the ball against Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) during the second quarter in game four of the Finals for the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena.

Kyrie Irving Draymond Green Game 4 NBA Finals 2017

CLEVELAND — Draymond Green is one of the NBA’s top instigators and in the aftermath of Game 4, the Cavs gave the Warriors' forward credit for giving them some extra motivation to extend the series.

While the exact comments Green made about allegedly wanting to celebrate a second NBA title on the Cavaliers home floor and spray champagne in the Quicken Loans Arena locker room remains a slight mystery, Kyrie Irving was the first to bring up how Cleveland used it as bulletin board material Friday.

“You hear some chatter going on throughout the Warriors locker room in terms of them trying to end it here,” Irving said in the post-game press conference. “And it was another do or die for us and we had to leave it all out there.”

Irving was sensational for a second straight game, scoring 40 points and pacing the Cavs in their 137-116 victory over the Warriors to push the NBA Finals to a fifth game Monday in Oakland. Irving didn’t pinpoint precisely what Green said, instead referring to comments he claims he saw floating around on social media.

"some of the other guys heard it and told me that that they wanted to celebrate on our floor once again and they wanted to spray champagne in our locker rooms, and I think it came from Draymond, which is okay, that's Dray anyway."

“We’re in the Finals. Everything is accessible,” Irving said. “So we see everything. I’ll be sitting up here lying saying that I didn’t see it.”

The Cavs played an inspired game, led by a postseason record-breaking performance in the first half, scoring 86 points, as well as a Finals record 24 made 3-poiners. While coach Tyronn Lue said he didn’t give any special pre-game speech, clearly the Cavaliers were gassed up by Green’s comments. Whatever they were. 

“Well, I didn't hear it, but some of the other guys heard it and told me that that they wanted to celebrate on our floor once again and they wanted to spray champagne in our locker rooms, and I think it came from Draymond, which is okay, that's Dray anyway,” said LeBron James, who had another triple-double in Game 4.

Green, who earned a technical foul in Game 4 and was thrown out for a brief moment before the refs perplexingly changed their mind, took more shots at Cleveland and their fans after the game. Every time Green touched the ball in Game 4, he was loudly booed and chants of “Draymond Sucks” were heard on multiple occasions.

"I don't pay attention to people in Cleveland honestly,” he told reporters. “Don't seem to be the sharpest people."

Steph Curry, not surprisingly, was a little more diplomatic about it. When asked if he was concerned Green’s comments had lit a fire under the Cavs, who prevented the Warriors from going an historic 16-0 in the postseason, Curry gave Cleveland props.  

“Kudos to them for finding whatever it took to play an amazing game, which they did,” he said. 

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