Game four of the 2017 NBA Finals was a boisterous and tenacious affair. After two embarrassing defeats and a heartbreaking one in game three, the Cleveland Cavaliers came out guns blazing to attempt yet another comeback.
What followed was plenty of fouls, technicals, and flagrants as the two teams jawed back and forth and made their presence known on every drive to the rim.
The tenacity of the game even spread off the court where a fan was ejected after a brief exchange with Warriors’ forward and noted calm person Matt Barnes:
And apparently some fans are barking at Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry! pic.twitter.com/EuSzbEQfbk
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) June 10, 2017
According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, the ejected fan is a friend of Cavs’ forward LeBron James and his agent, Rich Paul:
The fan that Matt Barnes was arguing with was Todd Leebow, the CEO and president of Majestic Steel. Leebow often attends games in Cleveland alongside LeBron James’ agent, Rich Paul. LeBron James and Tristan Thompson attended Leebow’s wedding in Miami in October 2015. Leebow was escorted away from his courtside seat by security while the referees were reviewing a third quarter incident involving Zaza Pachulia and Iman Shumpert.
The Warriors did not seem to enjoy the little exchange:
David West on fan: "I thought he was jaw-jacking with Zaza and it was fake, man. That little motherf—— ain't go do nothing in real life"
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) June 10, 2017
Zaza Pachulia recaps incident with fan on sideline, said he was pointing fingers and taunting: "They got his ass out" pic.twitter.com/WetMlroSx9
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) June 10, 2017
LeBron’s been going 100 the entire Finals so it’s only right that his associates follow suit, even if it means getting kicked out of an NBA Finals game.
