No hard foul given? Warriors’ Bogut says LeBron jumped into cameraman

Golden State Warriors center Andrew Bogut, left, tries to tie up Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) during the first half of Game 4 of basketball’s NBA Finals in Cleveland, Thursday, June 11, 2015. AP PHOTO

When LeBron James cut his head on a camera during Game 4 of the NBA Finals, only one person was to blame.

James himself, if Golden State center Andrew Bogut is to be believed.

It was in the second quarter when Bogut gave the driving James a good NBA Finals foul that the Cleveland Cavaliers superstar got launched to the ground and straight to the camera of one of the covering cameramen along the baseline in Quicken Loans Arena.

“I think he jumped into the cameraman,” the Australian big man told USA Today. “I think he came down and took two steps and then fell into the cameraman.”

Blood shows on the head Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) during the second half of Game 4 of basketball’s NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors in Cleveland, Thursday, June 11, 2015. AP PHOTO

“I definitely, definitely didn’t hit him hard.”

James received a nasty gash on his head that took the form of almost half of a camera lens and needed stitches to seal the wound.
He still continued to play after the incident. He finished with 20 points, a far cry from his average of 41 points in the first three games of the series. He also witnessed his team get a 103-82 beating in their home turf.

READ: NBA Finals: Warriors rout Cavaliers to tie series

Bogut was adamant of what he saw, and said his teammates saw the same thing.

“That’s how it was,” Bogut said. “If you look at the replay, you can see the two steps being taken and then him falling into the camera. That’s what we saw on the replay, and that’s what my teammates saw.” IDL