Many men winced on the Cavaliers’ final possession of Game 3 as LeBron James — after getting stripped on his game-tying attempt from three — kicked his right leg out and connected with Andre Iguodala’s groin.
https://twitter.com/Mr_BQC/status/872685945795080193
We all know Clippers center Marreese Speights — who played with Iguodala for three seasons in Golden State — noticed.
@andre hopefully you can have more kids
— Marreese Speights (@Mospeights16) June 8, 2017
The kick didn’t appear to bother Iguodala at the time, and on Thursday he told ESPN he never event felt it:
In an interview with ESPN on Thursday regarding the James kick, Iguodala said: c
“When I look back at it, I was like, ‘Oh, I didn’t even know this happened,’” he said. “Somebody told me about it. I didn’t know what happened, but I’m not going to be the one to say someone should not play, because you want everybody to be at full strength, right?”
According to ESPN, the NBA will not discipline James for the kick, and that’s no surprise. Not only is he the best player in the world, but if the league wants this Finals series to extend past a sweep, the Cavs will need James to go off in Game 4 on Friday. Who knows if the kick was intentional anyway, but remember that Warriors forward Draymond Green was suspended for Game 5 of last year’s NBA Finals against the Cavs for hitting James in the groin, helping Cleveland come back from a 3-1 deficit.
In this interview, Iguodala added that leg kicks are common on jump shots, so he doesn’t think the play is worth fussing over.
“What they say, Draymond did it how many times last year? … Throughout the whole season last year? They did a mix tape. It was like 100 [times]. Guys don’t even notice it,” Iguodala told ESPN. “So when it happens, guys are like [nothing]. Especially in that moment, adrenaline is flowing.”
But did James essentially violate the same “unnatural act” rule Green has been accused of violating?
“That’s not for me to decide, right?” Iguodala responded. “Right?”
[ESPN]
