Draymond Green throws James Harden under the bus trying to defend his own ‘unnatural acts’

Over the summer, the NBA identified a new point of emphasis: limiting the types of hits Oklahoma City Thunder big man Steven Adams endured while dueling Golden State’s Draymond Green. The league, according to the Associated Press’ Brian Mahoney, coined those types of hits to the groin area “unnatural acts” and made a point of cracking down on the type of erratic movement leading into those blows.

Wrote Mahoney:

The hits to the groin — termed “unnatural acts” by the league — are a point of emphasis after a number of situations involving Green during the postseason. Golden State’s All-Star forward had a habit of flailing his arms or legs and a few times made contact with opponents in the groin area.

But Green gave Rockets guard James Harden a blast from the past in the Warriors’ 132-127 loss to Houston on Thursday. In the third quarter during a Green layup attempt, he elbowed the Rockets’ star in the face on the way up before a flailing right foot came down on Harden’s mouth, sending him to the floor writhing in pain.

Here are both Green and Harden’s post-game reactions to the play:

Green was assessed a flagrant one foul and was not fined, but according to ESPN.com’s Chris Haynes, he had some choice words on Saturday for the NBA’s cracking down on “unnatural acts,” and grouped Harden’s layup style in the same category.

“I just laugh at it because it’s funny how you can tell me how I get hit and how my body is supposed to react. I didn’t know the people in the league office were that smart when it came to your body movement. I’m not sure if they took kinesiology and all this stuff for their positions to kind of tell you how your body is going to react when you get hit at certain positions.

“Or you go up and you got guys that jump to the ceiling, and I’m sure a lot of these people that make these rules can’t touch the rim. Yet they tell you you’re way up there in the air and which way your body (is supposed to react). I don’t really understand that. That’s like me going in there and telling them, ‘Hey, you did something on this paperwork in here wrong.’ Like, I don’t know what your paperwork looks like. It is what it is. I think they made the rule and make your rule. Like, I don’t care.

“But if you’re going to say it’s an unnatural act, no offense to James Harden, but I’ve never seen nobody up until James start doing it in my life, that shoot a layup like this under your arm. That’s not really a natural act either, it’s not a natural basketball play, either. So if you’re going to make a rule, make a rule. But if you’re going to take unnatural acts out the game, then let’s lock in on all these unnatural acts and take them out the game if that’s what we’re going to do. I don’t know. Let them keep telling people how their body reacts, I guess. They need to go take a few more kinesiology classes though. maybe they can take a tape in class, functional movement classes and let me know how the body works because clearly mine don’t work the right way.”

Green is far off.

Harden’s “unnatural acts” of craftily sneaking the ball underneath his opponents’ outstretched arms for a lay-up has turned him into one of the league’s premier scorers. Green’s flailing extremities, on the other hand, nearly decapitated both Russell Westbrook and Andre Roberson, sent Harden crashing to the floor, and reduced the 7’0, 250-pound bruiser Steven Adams to mush.

The most ill-timed of his “unnatural acts” got Green suspended for Game 5 of the NBA Finals, when he flailed his fist into LeBron James’ man-section during a Game 4 altercation. The league likely hoped the suspension would teach him a lesson.

Green’s two-piece elbow and foot combo to Harden’s chin is the first major incident he’s had this season. But if he continues to show this isn’t a thing of the past, the NBA may have to step in as it did last season.