Going into the first round of this year’s NBA playoffs, the Houston Rockets are preparing for a bitter fight ahead against Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and the Golden State Warriors. For veteran big man Steven Adams, this is familiar territory, having played against the Warriors during their prime. He has a particularly rough history with Draymond Green, and he spoke up about it ahead of Game 1 at the Toyota Center.
“I got kicked in the nuts like twice,” said Adams via ESPN. “I wouldn’t say we’re mates.”
Adams is a 10-year NBA veteran and backup big man for the Houston Rockets. With averages of 3.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 0.5 blocks per game this season, Adams is no longer a starting-caliber center, but he might have an edge against his longtime rival, Draymond Green.
Their history goes back to 2016, when Adams was a core member of the Oklahoma City Thunder, along with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. At the time, they were among the most significant challengers to Stephen Curry’s Warriors, who were still dominating the NBA after winning their first championship in 2015.
Their prior matchups were already physical enough, but things boiled over in the 2016 Western Conference Finals with both teams headed toward a critical free agency. In Game 2 of the series, Green brought Adams to the floor with a knee to the groin before he did it again a few days later in Game 3 when Draymond hit Adams with his foot. The moments sparked outrage online, and Adams would later describe the incident as being “extremely painful.” When confronted for answers on the situation, Draymond admitted that he was just trying to sell a foul call.
The two have had several other spats over the years, going beyond his days with the Thunder and into his tenures with the Pelicans and Grizzlies. Now, as a member of the Houston Rockets, Adams is matched up against Draymond once again in another high-stakes playoff showdown.
While the Thunder don’t have stars like Kevin Durant or Russell Westbrook, they have young players like Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green to lead the way for them on the court, while head coach Ime Udoka maintains the culture and identity in the locker room.
At seventh in the West, the Warriors are not the dominant force they used to be, but the arrival of Jimmy Butler has sparked a revival for the franchise that has the entire Western Conference on alert. For his part, Draymond Green had no choice but to cut out the antics after being suspended and fined last season, but he’s still the same guy who attacked Adams all those years ago.
Regardless of the past, Draymond will hold nothing back in this matchup against the Rockets, but he must keep his composure to avoid becoming a distraction for his team. Unlike last time, it’s Green and the Warriors who are underdogs, and Adams will not waste a chance to get revenge on the person who was once his fiercest enemy on the court.
