Richard Jefferson to Klay Thompson: ‘If it’s a man’s game, shut up’ about Timofey Mozgov screen

1. Klay Thompson accused Timofey Mozgov of setting a dirty screen in Game 4.

2. LeBron James said Draymond Green crossed a line with his trash talking in Game 5.

3. Thompson dismissed LeBron’s claims, saying “It’s a man’s league.”

Cavaliers forward Richard Jefferson, via Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports:

“If it’s a man’s game, shut up about the [illegal screen],” Jefferson told The Vertical. “Or don’t say anything about LeBron. Klay, he’s like my little brother. But we can’t contradict ourselves.”

This is a false equivalency. Thompson was complaining about a play that physically hurt him and sent him to the locker room. LeBron was complaining about words he disliked.

That doesn’t make what Green said to LeBron OK, but there should be less acceptance for dirty plays that can cause injury than mean words that can hurt feelings.

Of course – like J.R. Smith, who backed LeBron for MVP over Stephen Curry – the strength of Jefferson’s argument is secondary. Backing his most important teammate takes priority.