Did Draymond Green kick Steven Adams in the groin on purpose during Game 3 of the 2016 Western Conference Finals?
That’s the question everyone seems to be asking right now following Golden State’s 133-105 loss to Oklahoma City on Sunday night, and at this point, there’s not really a clear answer. Even those who were involved in the game and witnessed the kick up close and personal have differing opinions on whether or not it was intentional.
After the game ended, Green said that he did not mean to kick Adams below the belt on the controversial play. He told reporters that he’s sure Adams “wants to have kids one day” and said that he’s “not trying to end that on the basketball court”:
Adams wouldn’t say whether or not he thought Green kicked him on purpose, but he did point out that Green was “pretty accurate” with his kick:
Adams’ teammate Russell Westbrook gave a more direct answer when asked about Green’s kick and said that he does think Green kicked Adams on purpose:
Westbrook referenced this kick from Game 2 of the series while speaking with the media:
But Green’s teammate Steph Curry isn’t so sure. He said he was “shocked” when Green got hit with a flagrant foul for the kick because he didn’t see any “intent” behind it:
Green and Curry’s head coach Steve Kerr agreed with them. He called the kick “inadvertent” after the game and said he expects the flagrant foul that was called on Green to be rescinded:
But like Westbrook, Thunder head coach Billy Donovan pointed out that this isn’t the first time Green has kicked an OKC player in the series. He said he expects the NBA to take a good, hard look at what happened:
So where does all of this leave this? Well, as you would expect, the Warriors don’t think Green did anything wrong, and the Thunder think he did. So the heart and soul of the Golden State roster could end up getting suspended for Game 4 due to the kick—or he could end up getting away with little more than a small fine for kicking Adams. The NBA is already considering both options.
Either way, Game 4 on Tuesday night is going to be intense, and something tells us it won’t be another 28-point blowout for either team. Stay tuned to hear what the NBA decides to do after what happened on Sunday night.
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