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As Warriors’ Draymond Green chatters away, his solid play is a talking point

Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) drives past Thunder center Steven Adams for a layup in Game 1 on Monday.

Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) drives past Thunder center Steven Adams for a layup in Game 1 on Monday.

(Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press)
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Draymond Green hasn’t picked up a technical foul in the first two games of the Western Conference finals, fulfilling his pledge to yammer less around the officials.

The Oklahoma City Thunder were offered no such volume control.

Green continues to chatter whenever plays go his way, which they often did during the Golden State Warriors’ blowout victory in Game 2 on Wednesday to even the series. The Warriors power forward had words for Thunder center Steven Adams after making a three-pointer and again after inadvertently striking him in the groin, prompting Adams to say that Green had “peaked with annoyingness.”

“Tell him thanks for letting me know,” Green deadpanned Friday. “I appreciate it.”

Does Green think he could get even more annoying?

“We’ll see,” he said. “I don’t know. I’m just being me.”

Being Green entails flexing his arms after highlight plays and being a constant nuisance on defense. The Warriors have all but left Oklahoma City’s Andre Roberson unguarded in the series, allowing Green to roam and force double teams or help his teammates wherever needed.

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He doesn’t do that quietly, either.

“I hear him. He’s always talking,” Warriors guard Stephen Curry said. “That’s the biggest thing. That’s where on the defensive end that’s communication, and if you can hear him before the play actually happens, you know where to send a guy or where your help’s coming from.”

Curry could have used some assistance in the first quarter of Game 2 when he tumbled over a row of fans chasing a loose ball, dinging his right elbow as fans stood and watched.

“Not a lot of help,” Curry said, laughing. “That’s all I can say. … I wanted to do like a crowd-surfing kind of deal like at a concert, but they weren’t ready.”

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One fan even took a picture of Curry during the moment, which the two-time NBA most valuable player noticed.

“Yeah, I need that picture,” he said. “That would be something to remember.”

Curry wore a compression sleeve over the elbow during practice Friday, saying it was sore but that the swelling had subsided. He said he didn’t expect to be limited in Game 3 on Sunday evening at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City.

Green continues to be one of the major talking points of the playoffs. His all-around play is reflected in averages of 17.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 2.3 blocks and 1.5 steals over three series. He’s also logged four technical fouls, though that number has held steady since the conference semifinals against the Portland Trail Blazers.

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“I would be shocked if he picked up a seventh technical,” Warriors Coach Steve Kerr said before the series, referring to the number that would result in a one-game suspension. “I would also be shocked if he didn’t pick up a fifth and a sixth. So, look for that.”

Also expect Green to continue to irk Adams, if not a few more high-profile Thunder players.

“My goal is definitely not to get in Steven Adams’ head,” Green said. “I mean, if anybody, it’s trying to get into K.D. [Kevin Durant] and [Russell] Westbrook’s head, you know.”

Green said he didn’t mind continued questions about his intensity or the perception that it might result in people thinking he was a bad guy.

“I care about what 14 other guys think about me,” Green said. “And if I’m doing something to bother them, then it’s something that I need to address. If I’m doing something to bother the other 29 teams, then it’s something they need to address, and that has nothing to do with me.

“So, to answer your question, no, I don’t care. It doesn’t bother me one bit.”

Follow Ben Bolch on Twitter: @latbbolch

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