No suspension for Warriors’ Draymond Green

OKLAHOMA CITY - The Warriors have a mess of issues to sort out before Game 4 of the NBA Western Conference final. At least Draymond Green’s absence isn’t one of them.

After the Warriors, the Thunder and the rest of the basketball world dangled on the line all day, Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news about 6:15 p.m. that Green’s foul against Oklahoma City center Steven Adams would be upgraded from a Flagrant 1 to a Flagrant 2, and that the Golden State power forward would be fined $25,000. But he will not be suspended.

The NBA soon confirmed the information.

“After a thorough investigation that included review of all available video angles and interviews with the players involved and the officials working the game, we have determined that Green’s foul was unnecessary and excessive and warranted the upgrade and fine,” said Kiki VanDeWeghe, the NBA’s executive vice president of basketball operations.

“During a game, players - at times - flail their legs in an attempt to draw a foul,” VanDeWeghe continued, “but Green’s actions in this case warranted an additional penalty.”

The NBA’s ruling did move Green closer to a suspension. Because of a previous Flagrant 1 in Golden State’s first-round series against Houston, he now has three points under the league’s guidelines. If Green commits another Flagrant 1, he’ll have to sit out one game; another Flagrant 2 and he’s out two games.

With the Warriors already down 2 games to 1 and set to play on the road tonight, losing Green would have been a serious blow. He is Golden State’s most versatile defender, a reliable third scorer and the team’s emotional leader.

Asked before Monday morning’s light practice how Green’s absence might affect the Warriors, coach Steve Kerr replied: “You know the answer beforehand, right? Against a big front line, an athletic front line, yeah, that would be tough.”

Both teams were forced to strategize for Game 4 without knowing whether Green, who finished seventh in this year’s NBA most valuable player voting, would be on the court.

With 5:57 remaining in the second quarter Sunday, Adams fouled Green on a drive to the hoop. As he landed, Green threw his arm up and also kicked his right foot, which landed in Adams’ groin. The Thunder center went to all fours in pain.

Monday, America’s sports media endlessly debated whether the kick was intentional, and how Green’s transgression should be handled. The ruling settled the punishment issue, but will not quiet the discussion - among fans, and among the interested parties.

Monday, having had further opportunity to watch and re-watch the play, the two sides seemed further entrenched in their beliefs. Green maintained that the contact was utterly inadvertent, arguing that he was merely flailing to call attention to Adams’ foul, as is the NBA custom.

“There are multiple plays where I did it later in the game when I got fouled and my right leg went up,” Green said. “I always do it. Russell (Westbrook, the OKC guard) said I did it on purpose, but he’s part of the superstar group that started all this acting in the NBA. I didn’t. I sold the call.”

Kerr continued to back his player, as did Warriors teammates. Adams sounded less than convinced of Green’s innocence. He said he would consider wearing an athletic cup “due to the consistency of the hits.”

With Green slated for action, the Warriors can focus on the rest of their Game 3 shortcomings. They were plentiful.

At the 8:37 mark of the second quarter, the game was tied 40-40. An 8-0 run by Oklahoma City made it 48-40 when Green’s kick incensed the crowd, and it was all downhill for the Warriors after that. They were outscored 22-5 over the remainder of the second quarter after Green and Adams made their free throws, fell behind by as many as 41 points in the second half and eventually lost 133-105, turning the No. 1 seed’s supposed dominance on its head.

Pretty much everything went haywire at the same time for Golden State on Sunday, but a few key trends stood out.

Stagnant offense: In the four games the Warriors have lost in this postseason, they have usually cited a breakdown in the crisp, creative and unselfish passing that helped them to a record-breaking 73-9 mark in the regular season. As they fell behind in Game 3, they frequently settled for quick (and less-than-ideal) shots.

“I think guys are so competitive they want to do it by themselves,” Kerr said.

“They want to help us get right back in it with a couple of big shots, when the reality is over the course of 48 minutes you have to move the ball.”

No rim protection: With guys like Green and centers Andrew Bogut and Festus Ezeli inside, getting to the basket can be difficult for the Warriors’ opponents. Except the Thunder made it look easy. They scored 62 points in the paint and 29 in transition, many of those ending with forceful slams. The Golden State defense looked uninspired at best.

“They have momentum, and when they have momentum, obviously they’re a train,” backup guard Shaun Livingston said of the Thunder.

Poor shooting: The Warriors got off to a pretty good start. But they missed their final 11 shots of the first half (including five by the usually brilliant Stephen Curry) as things spiraled out of control.

“Obviously, if we make a couple shots and give them a reason to sit down maybe - the fans, I’m speaking of - then maybe that helps us gain some momentum,” Curry said. “It was just a snowball effect from start to finish.”

By midway through the third quarter, the Warriors were buried in an avalanche. It bears repeating that this team hasn’t lost back-to-back games all season. Then again, they haven’t faced many opponents as potent as the Thunder look right now. Having Green on the court will help, but the Warriors will need to find other ways to improve if they hope to avoid a 3-1 deficit.

You can reach Staff Writer Phil Barber at 521-5263 or phil.barber@pressdemocrat.com. Follow him on Twitter: @Skinny_Post.