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Well, this one was ugly. In an absolute drubbing, Oklahoma City showcased it's firepower over a powerless Golden State defense. Andre Iguodala helped the Warriors erase an early double digit deficit to tie the game in the second quarter, but Golden State fell apart shortly after Draymond Green inadvertently (right?) kicked Steven Adams in the "kiwis" (s/o to Marcus Thompson). The starters were pulled toward the end of the third quarter and the rest was garbage time.
Say what you will about the quality of the officiating, the Warriors were anything but sharp tonight. Andrew Bogut and Green missed easy shots around the rim and weren't able to protect the rim without fouling. The Thunder won the rebound battle 52 to 38 and got just about any shot it wanted, be it in the paint or behind the arc. Meanwhile, Golden State's offense stalled out in a second quarter that featured more than its fare share of fouls and replay reviews.
One of the longer delays in the second quarter came after the kick felt 'round the world.
Draymond Green was slapped with a Flagrant 1 for this kick to Steven Adams's groin https://t.co/7K5RLZHHf9 pic.twitter.com/8StD6SPaod
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) May 23, 2016
#Warriors fall off a 24-5 cliff after #Draymond gets called for a Flagrant One for kicking… https://t.co/vjWXHFsbCq
— LetsGoWarriors (@LetsGoWarriors) May 23, 2016
There was a lot of talk as to whether Draymond would be suspended for this kick, as Dahntay Jones was suspended earlier in the day after hitting Bismack Biyombo in the groin at the end of Game 3 between the Raptors and Cavaliers. After the game, Steve Kerr and Draymond opined that the league should rescind the flagrant foul rather than consider a suspension for what seemed to be an accidental kick. Thunder fans probably have a different opinion. Keep an eye on the news tomorrow to see if Draymond will be in a uniform on Tuesday.
The silver lining is that the Warriors have been in this position before. Down 2-1 to both the Grizzlies and Cavaliers in last year's playoffs, the Dubs bounced back with three straight wins both times. We'll see what kind of adjustments are in store for Game 4, which will hopefully include Draymond Green in the lineup.