Gibson doesn't think Noah needs a gag order
After LeBron James said Joakim Noah was "disrespectful" with his trash talk in Game 3, a Cleveland reporter tracked down Noah in the hallway to get his reaction.
Noah said he has complete respect for James and didn't know what he was talking about. James said he was irritated by something Noah said a few seconds before both players received technical fouls for yelling at each other in the third quarter.
On Saturday, Taj Gibson was asked if he thinks Noah's talk during games could ever go too far.
"Man, we grew up playing basketball," Gibson said. "Trash-talking is in every neighborhood, every project, every city and state. It doesn't matter. That's part of basketball. That's two guys that are great competitors going after it.
"It's part of the game. This is the NBA. This isn't a bunch of little boys. It's a bunch of grown men. It's real physical and things are going to be said. But at the end of the day it's basketball."
Asked if he appreciates a teammate who can get under an opponent's skin, Gibson rejected the idea.
"I don't really look at it like that," he said. "Jo's a player … he just speaks his mind. He doesn't purposely try to do things like that. He's just one of those great competitors that you want to go to war with and you know will always have your back 110 percent."
Irving vows to compete:
Cleveland guard Kyrie Irving gave an update on the status of his injured foot Saturday at the team hotel. Irving turned his ankle early in Game 3, then shot 1-for-11 from the field in the second half.
"I'm pretty optimistic," Irving said, according to the Cleveland Plain-Dealer. "It is what it is at this point. Probably eight out of 10 players on the floor in any playoff game probably have some knickknacks or are injured in some way. It's just that time of the season.
"For me, it's more of prideful thing and as a competitor, just go out there and give my team whatever is needed and whatever I can give."
LeBron James vowed not to let a crushing defeat in Game 3 get him down. The Cavaliers lost on Derrick Rose's 3-point bank shot at the buzzer.
"Even though I hate losing - it was tough for me to sleep last night - I'm not going to be shattered, not around these guys," James said. "They need my leadership more than ever, more than anybody on the team. I will not show any weakness.
"I've still got really high hopes for this team. With what we have we can still compete at a high level."
Bull horns:
Cavs forward Tristan Thompson on Derrick Rose's game-winning 3-pointer Friday: "It was a lucky shot. He hit it off the glass. It's tough." … The NBA releases a review of referees' calls during the final two minutes of playoff games. When LeBron James knocked the ball away from Derrick Rose with heavy contact with three seconds left, the league ruled it a "correct non-call." The league also said James should have been called for a shooting foul against Rose with 1:33 left.