Channing Frye

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Channing Frye says he doesn't give 'a [bleep]' about what the Warriors are saying.

(Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com)

OAKLAND, Calif. - The sentiment exuding from the Golden State Warriors on Sunday afternoon was that they're essentially playing against the Cleveland Snitching Cavaliers.

The NBA suspended Draymond Green for Monday's Game 5 of the NBA Finals after assessing him a flagrant foul that put him over the limit and into a suspension. The Warriors claim the Cavaliers whined to make that happen.

And to that, one member of the Cavaliers issued a candid response.

"My honest opinion? I don't give a [bleep] what they say," Cavs forward Channing Frye told cleveland.com adamantly. "I give no [bleeps] what they say, whatsoever. Like, zero. It's like, 'OK.' I don't care. I honestly don't care about anything they say.

"The only thing I'm focused on is what my teammates think, what our fans think and what my family thinks. Other than that, I've got one job and that's to win this next game. They can talk, they can say what they want, they can complain, they can scream, they can cry. We've got a job to do. We're not going to be distracted by all that."

Warriors sharpshooter Klay Thompson admitted he was surprised when he heard LeBron James after Game 4 publicly complaining to the media about Green's trash-talking antics.

"I'm just kind of shocked some guys take it so personal," he said. "It's like, I mean, you know, it's a man's league and I've heard a lot of bad things on that court, but at the end of the day it stays on the court. But obviously people have feelings, and people's feelings get hurt even if they're called a bad word. I guess his feelings just got hurt."

Cavs coach Tyronn Lue was fined $25,000 for his postgame remarks toward the officials when he said, "He (LeBron) never gets calls."

Warriors center Andrew Bogut said Lue and James intentionally took to the podium that evening with a clear plan of pouring gasoline onto an already-hot Draymond Green suspension soapbox.

"You knew after Game 4 it was going to be very likely [Draymond gets suspended] with all the stuff coming out from their end," Bogut said. "That's all their coaches and their manager have to do, try and get him out."

The play that generated discussion around the association occurred in the closing minutes of Game 4 when Green and James got into a mini scuffle. James flung his arm and Green fell to the ground. The four-time MVP then stepped over Green, to which the Warriors' forward hit James in the groin while getting up.

A double foul was called during the game, but on Sunday the league upgraded the penalties. Green was assessed a Flagrant 1, and James was hit with a technical. That took Green over the Flagrant points limit, and it carried an automatic one-game suspension.

"I think it's a double-T [technical] at best," Bogut told cleveland.com of that incident. "I think LeBron could have been called for four separate fouls on that play. He threw him, stood over him and fouled him again under the basket."

Bogut also said with Green unavailable, the pressure is now on the Cavaliers to send the series back to Cleveland.

"That's almost the dumbest thing I've ever heard in my life," Frye said to cleveland.com "We've got to win one game or we're going to lose. So, we're in a one-game series."

J.R. Smith concurs with his teammate.

"All the pressure has been on us," Smith said to cleveland.com. "We're the ones that's been down in the series. What are they talking about? They act like we're up."

If James and Lue truly had an objective of getting the league to take action on Green, mission accomplished. Green has no one to blame but himself. He's the only person responsible for accumulating all those technicals and flagrants this postseason. He took the bait and if it meant a little squealing to add some pressure, it was well worth it for Cleveland.

But now it's really up to the Cavaliers to deliver. Green is the Warriors' best playmaker, rebounder and all-around defender along with being their vocal, emotional leader. Everything runs through him, similar to James' role.

Cleveland's off-the-court "plan" worked out, but now it's time to execute on the court.