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Draymond says he doesn't have beef with LeBron

Cary Edmondson / REUTERS

People can be forgiven if they thought LeBron James and Draymond Green weren't the best of friends. During the NBA Finals, James did walk over Green, who responded by appearing to whack him in the groin, prompting a public war of words between the two and those around them.

Related: Draymond didn't like LeBron stepping over him: 'Don't disrespect me'

It escalated to the point that the Cleveland Cavaliers superstar admitted he thought Green went "overboard" in his trash talking. Now that the dust has settled, though, Green declared he and James are pals.

"A lot of people try to make it out to be, with LeBron and I, that there's this beef ... it's not," the Golden State Warriors forward told DraftKings. "Me and LeBron are friends. We're business partners.

"Nonetheless, when I step on the court next year, I'm gonna go at him. When he steps on the court next year, he's gonna go at me. That's the game we play.

"What happens on the court also stays on the court. And at the end of the day, you're competing for a championship. Things are going to happen because there's a lot of emotion that goes into that, there's a lot of hard work. And you're going to do whatever you can to try to win. There isn't this beef that people try to make it out to be. But if they want to make it out ... if that helps them sleep at night, then that's OK."

So maybe there isn't any real ill will between the champions. That would explain why Green sought out James to give him a hug and congratulate him for ending Cleveland's 52-year title drought.

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