Warriors' Draymond Green rips Blazers coach for ‘cheating the game'

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PORTLAND -- Twenty minutes after the Warriors lost 122-112 to the Trail Blazers, Draymond Green walked into the visitor's locker room at Moda Center with a message for anyone within earshot.

"Asking for a delay of game don’t help you in the playoffs!" Green yelled.

The play that caught Green's ire happened with 5:22 left in the fourth quarter, when the Warriors' All-Star forward was set to check back into the game. Flanked with heating pads on both knees, Green was late for the substitution, causing a Blazers assistant coach to ask referees to call a delay of game. The sequence caused Green to yell obscenities toward the Blazers' bench.

Green's comments came nearly two weeks after Thunder guard Chris Paul pointed out that Timberwolves forward Jordan Bell had an untucked jersey as he checked in late in an eventual 139-127 Oklahoma City win. Paul's actions with 1.1 seconds left in the game resulted in a technical foul on the Timberwolves, helping send the game into overtime.

"Yeah, I told them his jersey was untucked," Paul said after the game. "I know the rules."

Paul's actions are personal for Green, considering the history between the two players. During Green's career, his team has defeated Paul's in three of four playoff matchups, including last season's Western Conference semifinals, when the Warriors beat the Rockets in six games, building a contentious competitive relationship. Along the way, Golden State has ended Paul's championship hopes three times.

The Blazers also have felt the Warriors' dominance in recent years, with the help of Green. Seven months ago, he averaged 16.5 points, 11.8 rebounds and nearly nine assists per game in the Western Conference finals, as Golden State eliminated Portland in a four-game sweep and cemented Green's theory Wednesday night.

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"Those that cheat the game don't win in the playoffs," Green said. "Monkey see, monkey do. 'I see one guy ask for a delay of game and get it, then I'ma ask for one.' S--t's weak. "

"But that’s the league we in. Everyone cheating the game, whether it’s cheap-a-- fouls or asking for a delay of game.”

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