Draymond Green: 'Going over the edge' won't win me a championship

— -- OAKLAND -- Draymond Green's emotions got the best of him in the 2016 NBA Finals, leading to a Game 5 suspension after the Golden State Warriors forward became tangled with LeBron James in Game 4.

Ever since, Green's suspension has been cited as a key turning point -- if not the turning point -- in the series. The Warriors blew a 3-1 lead and lost the Finals to James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Through two games of the 2017 Finals, the occasionally volatile Green has kept his composure so far, not earning any technical fouls or anything of that sort.

"Going over the edge isn't going to win me a championship," Green said after notching 12 points, six rebounds and six assists in the Warriors' 132-113 Game 2 win over the Cavaliers on Sunday at Oracle Arena. "I think I'm a pretty smart guy and I learned my lesson. I went over the edge before. Fool me once; you can't fool me twice."

Green shared the postgame news conference table with Kevin Durant, and both players were initially perturbed at a question about Green restraining himself emotionally.

"You act like I'm just this troubled guy who's been in a bunch of trouble and can't control myself," Green said. "Jesus Christ."

The reporter said Green had avoided going over line in terms of his emotions.

"You waiting on him to go across the line," Durant replied.

When asked how he's been able to do that, Green responded, "I just been playing basketball, brother. And when you got great teammates like I do, who allow me to play with my emotions and allow me to be emotional when I'm talking to them, to use my emotions to the better for us, it's easy.

"So just really trying to lead this team as much as I can in the ways that I do for this team. Not worrying about the officials and all that. I think at the end of the day, I think everyone talks to officials. I talk to them."