When Golden State Warriors forward Andre Iguodala went down with a hyperextended knee in Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals series with the Houston Rockets, upon first review, the injury appeared to have been caused by a haphazard collision with Chris Paul. Upon closer inspection, however, Paul can be seen intentionally kicking Iguodala in the left knee. When Iguodala bent over with a grimace on his face, Paul did not pause to ask if he was okay — as any honest, guilt-free player would do. He instead glared at Iguodala with a hostile expression and stomped away. This isn’t playoff basketball. This isn’t toughness. This is the notoriously dirty play of Chris Paul, who has branded himself throughout his career as a likable, diplomatic good guy, which ensures referees give him the benefit of the doubt when he claims innocence for repeated on-court crimes. His perceived diplomacy — unlike NBA players such as Draymond Green or DeMarcus Cousins, who are deemed hotheads — allows him to get away with repeated vile assaults against the nether regions of opposing players. In a 2018 episode of ESPN’s Hot Take Factory, Jalen Rose minimizes Paul’s on-court behavior as “edgy,” while no one else is buying it. And the highlight reel speaks for itself: an elbow to the backside of Kevin Durant, knocking him down, slowing Durant’s ability to get back on defense (no foul) at Wake Forest (where dirty play became a part of Paul’s skill set), punching NC State’s Julius Hodge in the groin (one-game suspension) against the Trail Blazers, shoving a guy in the junk (no foul, but the player paid him back by shoving Paul to the ground) a seek-and-find operation to the private parts of Rudy Gobert, who should count himself lucky for seeming to wear extra baggy basketball shorts (no foul) a hard punch to the penis of Kevin Durant, then with Oklahoma City, which doubled him in pain (no foul) After the Rajon Rondo-spitting incident in which Paul retaliated by poking Rondo in the face, Skip Bayless, on Fox Sports’ Undisputed, praised Rondo for going after Paul’s “pristine image”: It’s the most overrated, the most over-sold, over-protected image in the history of the NBA. Because, the truth is — Chris Paul, if you really analyze his history of cheap-shotting, he’s the dirtiest player of his era. And I can make a case that he’s the dirtiest player in the history of the NBA because of his history of cheap-shotting opponents below the belt with shots to the groin. Bayless dug further into Paul’s cheap shot on Hodge while at Wake Forest, which begs the obvious question: In a league where players get ejected after receiving two technical fouls in a game for sighing too loudly, how has Paul avoided getting whistled for repeated intentional assaults of opposing players’ private parts? And, after Paul’s kick to Iguodala’s knee, has Warriors coach Steve Kerr already addressed his concerns with the league? More importantly, will NBA officiating take the complaint seriously after letting Paul’s conduct go unchecked for his entire career? Golden State lost Games 3 and 4 in Houston, 126-121 (overtime) and 112-108, respectively. With the series now evened at two games apiece, the Warriors have a crucial Game 5 at Oracle Arena tonight (Wednesday, May 8, at 10:30 p.m. ET on TNT). In the interest of fair play and player safety, the NBA must clamp down on Chris Paul’s dirty tricks.<doc-sep>HOUSTON – Golden State Warriors forward Andre Iguodala was in the process of choosing his postgame meal among an expansive spread that featured seafood, steak and other fine foods near the entrance of the locker room. While hovering over the buffet, coach Steve Kerr joined him in surveying the options and asked the 2015 Finals MVP how he was feeling. Iguodala bent down, briefly massaged his left knee and said it was a little sore, but he promised his coach that he would be fine for Game 5 on Wednesday. The injury is believed to be minor, but the incident that led to it is being viewed quite differently. Members of the Warriors told Yahoo Sports that they believed it was “a dirty play” by Houston Rockets guard Chris Paul. In the fourth quarter, Iguodala had Paul sealed on his back while boxing out to gather a defensive rebound during the Rockets’ 112-108 win Monday that evened the West semifinals at two games apiece. When Iguodala elevated to secure the board, Paul moved into the forward when he was in midair and ended up clipping the back of Iguodala’s left knee. A foul was called on Paul, and Iguodala immediately started hobbling and reaching for his knee. As the series shifts to the Bay Area, tensions are elevating. Paul has been successful at agitating the Warriors, who have failed over the past two games to maintain focus. Chris Paul did Chris Paul things to the Warriors on Monday night in Game 4. (Getty Images) There were many physical incidents that took place at the Toyota Center that had the potential to escalate if tempers erupted. And Paul was involved in most of them. Paul and Kevin Durant were bickering for much of the contest, and late in the fourth quarter, the two mixed it up a bit. In another box-out situation, Paul moderately shoved Durant to place himself in better position to secure the defensive board. Durant took exception to the nudge and followed it up by slinging Paul to the hardwood and standing over him. Paul scooted back, hopped up and began clapping his hands in delight at getting underneath Durant’s skin. Durant was hit with a personal foul, and he was clearly irritated as he had words for the Rockets’ point guard en route to the other end of the court. Story continues And prior to that altercation, Durant elbowed Paul in the mouth as he swung his left arm around wildly after jumping for a potential offensive rebound. Paul was standing behind Durant on the play and caught what appeared to be an inadvertent elbow before plunging to the floor. There was no whistle on the play. “The way both teams are playing with such aggression and intensity, it’s fun to be out there,” Durant said after scoring a team-high 34 points with seven rebounds and five assists. “We’re looking forward to Game 5.” But that wasn’t the end of the Paul-related altercations. In the third quarter, he got into it with Draymond Green. Klay Thompson penetrated and found Green alone under the basket, but Paul rotated over and fouled Green from behind, sending the forward to the floor. And while Green was on his back, Paul stared him down and took a step in his direction, resulting in Green quickly bouncing up and shoving Paul in his back. Paul didn’t react, and there was no repercussion. There was also a third-quarter incident that didn’t involve Paul, as Green was clocked on the side of his head by James Harden. The Rockets star nailed his patented step-back triple over Green, but awkwardly swung his shooting hand to the left and nailed Green on the left side of his head. The forward collapsed to the ground holding his head. There was no call on the play. “I told y’all before, I get fouled on James Harden 3-pointers,” Green said after the game. “Y’all thought I was lying. People think I just be making sh-- up.” Lastly, in the opening quarter, Harden was accidentally elbowed on the top of the head by Durant. The reigning MVP drove to the basket in transition and eluded Thompson, but Durant came from the weak side and blocked his shot. On the follow-through, Durant’s elbow grazed Harden’s head and the guard fell to the hardwood, grimacing in pain. Durant was in pain, as well, as he held his elbow. There was no call on the play. “Very physical [game],” said Eric Gordon, who scored 20 points for the Rockets. “… I just like our intensity. It’s an intense game.” The Rockets’ P.J. Tucker has feasted on the offensive glass at home in this series, especially in the fourth quarter, when the Warriors desperately needed a rebound to complete a defensive stop. “I just feel like nobody can box me out,” Tucker told Yahoo Sports after posting 17 points, 10 rebounds (five offensive) and two steals. “That’s something I’ve been doing all my life. I’ve always ate off the boards. It’s something nobody likes to do. People don’t like boxing out, man. It’s tough. It’s hard to box somebody out. I’ve always been a pretty good rebounder, but when I get guards on me, I don’t think they can box me out. It’s just going and getting it. Those are winning plays. Extra possessions might win the game.” The Warriors have been outrebounded 105-78 in the past two games, a sign of wavering focus and physicality. “I think it’s just a mindset,” Green said. “I think we’re kind of going to a fight, and we think it’s a fair fight, but it’s not. They’re doing whatever it takes to win and not that they’re doing anything dirty or nothing like that, but they’re doing whatever it takes to win, and we’re just kind of rolling in there, and they’re slamming us.” It’s Harden, Paul and Tucker playing their roles to the fullest. And it’s why the defending champs are now on their heels. Just last week it looked as if the Warriors were on their way to cruising to the conference finals. Now, it appears that the tight, contentious affair most envisioned is transpiring. “If ‘rivalry’ is what the NBA wants to call it,” Iguodala told Yahoo Sports. “Whatever they say. I don’t know what [this series] is.” More from Yahoo Sports:<doc-sep>NBA rumors: Warriors believe Chris Paul made 'dirty play' on Andre Iguodala originally appeared on nbcsportsbayarea.com Chris Paul has been getting under the Warriors' skin, that much is clear. While the Rockets' star point guard was largely absent in the first two games of the Western Conference semifinal series with the two-time defending NBA champions, he was a different player when the series shifted back to Houston. Paul, who has always been known as an irritant, agitated the Dubs numerous times during the Rockets' wins in Games 3 and 4. Paul's antics, for the most part, are harmless and done to get inside the heads of the Warriors, which he clearly did in Game 4. While battling for a rebound, Paul and Kevin Durant got tangled up and the Warriors star ended up slinging Paul to the floor and standing over him. Then, there was another incident with Durant where the two-time NBA Finals MVP appeared to intentionally elbow Paul in the face. But while Paul's extracurriculars with Durant are largely much ado about nothing, the Dubs reportedly do believe CP3 crossed a line late in the Rockets' Game 4 win on Monday. With 11 seconds left and James Harden at the free-throw line, Paul tried to snake around Warriors forward Andre Iguodala to grab a rebound off the miss and hit the forward's knee. The 2015 NBA Finals MVP immediately grabbed at his knee after the play. While Iguodala is expected to be good to go for Wednesday night's Game 5 at Oracle Arena, a number of Warriors believe Paul's move on Iguodala was a "dirty play," Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports reported Tuesday. Paul's play certainly didn't appear to be on the up and up. However, the Rockets were in danger of giving away a Game 4 they absolutely had to have, so it's more than likely that Paul was just doing whatever he could to secure the rebound and not looking to batter one of the Warriors' most important players. Story continues [RELATED: Dubs' mood is good ahead of Game 5, but bodies aren't great] Paul's reemergence and Mike D'Antoni's small-ball adjustment has breathed new life into a Rockets team that appeared dead after falling down 0-2 in the series. But, with the series now tied at two wins apiece, the Rockets and Warriors are back on track for the seven-game deathmatch everyone expected when the series began. The Warriors will have to do a better job of dealing with Paul's antics, P.J. Tucker's grit and the Rockets' new-found swagger Wednesday night in Game 5, or else things will get dire in a hurry.<doc-sep>
The Rockets did just enough Monday night to beat the Warriors in Game 4 of their Western Conference semifinal series, but we're talking about Houston and Golden State here, so the contest didn't end without some controversy. And to no one's surprise, Rockets guard Chris Paul was right in the middle of it. Late in the fourth quarter, Warriors forward Andre Iguodala boxed out Paul and secured the ball off a James Harden missed free throw to give Golden State a chance to tie the game. (Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry both missed 3-pointers on the ensuing possession, and after being fouled by Iguodala on the rebound, Paul hit one of two free throws to ice it.) Paul appeared to clip Iguodala's left leg as he landed, and Iguodala immediately reached down for his knee. MORE: Curry has a simple solution to silence all of the playoff criticism Iguodala met with a Warriors trainer during the timeout, and he later left the Toyota Center with a noticeable limp. That might set off alarm bells for the Golden State faithful, but Iguodala informed Warriors coach Steve Kerr he would be ready for Game 5, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. It doesn't sound like Warriors players are taking the cause of Iguodala's pain lightly, though. Per Haynes: The injury is believed to be minor, but the incident that led to it is being viewed quite differently. Members of the Warriors told Yahoo Sports that they believed it was "a dirty play" by Houston Rockets guard Chris Paul... As the series shifts to the Bay Area, tensions are elevating. Paul has been successful at agitating the Warriors, who have failed over the past two games to maintain focus. There were many physical incidents that took place at the Toyota Center that had the potential to escalate if tempers erupted. And Paul was involved in most of them. Paul got physical with Iguodala, Durant and Draymond Green over the course of Game 4. He knows how to be a pest and get under the skin of his opponents, and that approach has served him well in his 14-year career. But after this particular play, he should be prepared for the Warriors to hit back within the rules, especially if he makes his way into the lane.