Steven Adams considers protecting his groin from Draymond Green
In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past 16 hours, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green was not suspended for Game 4, following another kick to Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams’ groin, so the 7-foot New Zealander is considering taking steps to prevent any further damage.
And wouldn’t you consider protection if someone’s leg had found your nether regions twice in a week? As the saying goes, fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, wear protective gear for your sensitive area.
As for whether Adams actually lives in fear of further damage, he made it awfully clear with reporters prior to the league’s ruling that his confidence won’t waver with or without Green’s legs available for Game 4.
To his credit, Green issued the apology Adams said “wouldn’t matter” in the form of an Undefeated diary.
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“I would tell [Adams], ‘My bad. I didn’t try to do something like that.’ Honestly, I wanted to go up to him during the game and say that. But I know what type of competitor he is and I think I know how he would react. If he would have reacted the way I thought he would have reacted, I know what that would have done to me, as well. I just kind of erred on the side of not saying anything and was hopeful I may catch him after the game.
“I didn’t intentionally kick him down there. Whether he believes me or not, which I don’t think he will and wouldn’t in the moment, which is why I didn’t say anything. I would definitely apologize and I look forward to apologizing to him, if I see him.”
But if you thought the $25,000 fine and being one flagrant point away from a mandatory one-game suspension would prevent Green from still trying to verbally kick Oklahoma City in the groin, think again.
“Russell [Westbrook] said I did it on purpose, but he’s a part of the superstar group that started all this acting in the NBA,” Green told the media on Monday. I didn’t. So, I sold the call. … Russell Westbrook kicked me at the end of the half. He just didn’t happen to catch me where I caught Steven Adams at, so no — I’m not bracing for the worst.”
Green submitted this as evidence:
Naturally, Westbrook didn’t take too kindly to Green’s accusations, throwing shade at the Warriors forward after Green’s 1-for-9, four-turnover effort that resulted in the worst plus/minus in playoff history.
We’ll see if these verbal barbs translate to the court. Just make sure your sensitive areas are protected.
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Ben Rohrbach is a contributor for Ball Don’t Lie and Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach
