Tuesday Bolts – 5.24.16

Tom Haberstroh of ESPN.com: “Intent is irrelevant in these matters (it’s really hard to

get inside the brain), but even so, kicking your leg up like Green did is super dangerous and also not part of the game — unless you condone flopping. We’ll be hearing about this for years if Golden State moves on.”

Jeff Van Gundy last night:  “I truly thought the decision was going to come down to whether he got a two-game suspension or a one-game suspension. I am utterly shocked at the rationale they showed that players normally flail like that. I think it’s going to haunt them because I think it’s going to undermine the credibility from the players’ standpoint that every player, every team gets the same equal treatment under the rules.”

The Russell Westbrook handbook.

Berry Tramel: “I have no idea if Green should have been suspended. The NBA enforcement policy seems more inconsistent than Andre Roberson’s jumper. And frankly, the best-case scenario for the Thunder is to beat the Warriors in Game 4 with Green. A short-handed roster could cast a pall over an OKC victory. The biggest question is, why is this happening so much more? Why is it open season on hitting a guy where it hurts?”

Lee Jenkins of SI.com: “Presti used to surround his young stars with veteran voices. Now the Founding Fathers—his pet name for Durant, Westbrook, Ibaka and forward Nick Collison—advise apprentices of their own. Durant tutors fourth-year shooting guard Dion Waiters while Westbrook takes rookie point guard Cameron Payne. Last summer Collison invited Adams to his house on Lake Washington in Seattle, and they rode his ski boat to daily workouts at UW. On the ride back they cracked open coolers of Pacifico and jumped in the water.”

Ken Berger of CBSSports.com: “By upgrading Green’s offense to a flagrant-2 but not suspending him, isn’t the league be saying Green should’ve been ejected, but wasn’t?
All questions for another day. In the meantime, the offended party, Adams, is thinking about donning the sort of protective equipment typically reserved for the sport of choice in his native New Zealand: rugby. And from what Adams said Monday, it didn’t much matter to him whether Green was suspended or not.”

Rob Mahoney of SI.com: “Occasional mistakes and all, this was an ace defensive performance from Durant at the very spot in the lineup where such a thing was needed. Oklahoma City leaned on Roberson’s diligence, Waiters’s full focus, Westbrook’s restraint, and Ibaka’s help to make its defensive stands possible. Yet Durant was at the epicenter of so many high-stress actions by the Thunder’s own design and thrived with the responsibility. He didn’t just play power forward; Durant’s fluidity made him a one-on-one perimeter stopper, a help-side shot blocker, a lock-and-trail defender, and a safety net in the middle of the floor. Durant was Draymond Green in a game where even Draymond wasn’t quite himself.”

Matt Moore of CBSSports.com: “Green had adamantly defended himself Sunday night and again Monday, saying that the kick was not intentional, that he was trying to sell a foul, and making comparisons to Russell Westbrook’s similar play. Green was a minus-43 in Game 3 as the Thunder’s smallball unit ran the vaunted Warriors’ small lineup off the floor. Westbrook said Sunday that Green should be suspended given it was the second time in two games that Green made contact with Adams’ private parts. Adams took the high road about the low blow, saying that it wasn’t his call, and saying Monday he believes the Thunder can beat the Warriors anyway.”