May 24--REPORTING FROM OKLAHOMA CITY -- It was never a whodunit, only a matter of what the NBA was going to do about it.
The league opted for leniency with Draymond Green on Monday, imposing a $25,000 fine and upgrading his kick to the groin of Steven Adams in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals to a flagrant-2 foul.
Escaping the wrath of Oklahoma City Thunder fans won't be nearly as easy for the Golden State Warriors power forward.
Green awoke to a sports section in the Oklahoman on Monday featuring an oversized photo of the moment of contact with the banner headline "KICKSTART," referencing the Thunder's massive surge after the play to end the first half of a runaway victory.
One can imagine where the Thunder faithful will direct all their angst when the series resumes at Chesapeake Energy Arena on Tuesday night with Game 4. It may not be a pleasant few hours even for a player who covets boos.
Green would earn a one-game suspension should he be called for even a less serious flagrant-1 foul the rest of the series.
Green continued to plead innocent regarding his kick to Adams' midsection midway through the second quarter that earned him what was initially ruled a flagrant-1 foul. He said he was trying to sell a foul called on Adams for reaching in to strip the ball and contended that flailing his leg was routine for him on those types of plays.
He might have stopped there but didn't, dragging Thunder guard Russell Westbrook into the conversation.
"Russell said I did it on purpose," Green said, "but he's part of the superstar group that started all this acting in the NBA. I didn't. I sold the call."
Green went on to say that Westbrook kicked him on a play before the end of the first half in which Green fouled Westbrook on a three-point attempt.
Said Westbrook: "That was just a dumb play on his part. It wasn't my fault."
Westbrook also didn't seem to appreciate the suggestion he was a master flopper.
"I've never been fined for one flop since I've been playing in the NBA," Westbrook said. "I don't know about no flopping or nothing. I don't know how to flop. But it seems like he was the one that was flailing, kicking his legs out and stuff [Sunday]. It wasn't me."
Warriors Coach Steve Kerr said the issue wasn't the flailing leg but the point of impact, a region where Adams had also been struck in Game 2 when Green kneed him in the groin while driving toward the basket.
"It was unfortunate," Kerr said. "But I don't think there was any intent behind it."
Green said referee Scott Foster told him after the play that he didn't think it was an intentional blow but was forced to assess a flagrant foul because of the sensitive area where his kick landed. Green said he watched replays on his phone and acknowledged that they weren't pleasant.
"I can see how somebody can think it was intentional," Green said, "but yet nobody can go in my head and say, 'Draymond was thinking about kicking him and he kicked him.' If you watch my reaction, I walk back to the three-point line, clap everybody's hands, turn around and look like, 'What's the dude on the floor for?' All the camera angles out there, they can see that too. ... I know I didn't do it on purpose."
Adams described himself as sore Monday and said he was considering wearing protective gear for Game 4 "because of the consistency of the hits." He's actually witnessed worse playing rugby in his native New Zealand.
"There are some really brutal ones because they have cleats," Adams said. "I'll leave the rest to the imagination of what actually happened. But they still play. That's amazing, those guys."
The brouhaha involving Adams and Green overshadowed a 2-1 deficit facing the Warriors, something they overcame twice last season on the way to the NBA championship. Of course, they never had to beat anyone like the Thunder in that situation.
Kerr acknowledged that this was the most talented team confronting the Warriors and guard Stephen Curry said the past doesn't always dictate the future.
"Obviously, you can't just come out and show up and think it's going to be easy to get it done," Curry said. "But we know what the mission is in front of us."
ben.bolch@latimes.com
Twitter: @latbbolch
