OAKLAND — Draymond Green doesn’t mince words. Never has. After the Golden State Warriors’ gritty Game 6 clash with the Memphis Grizzlies on April 16, 2025, the fiery forward let loose on what’s been gnawing at him: Steven Adams’ ironclad grip on the paint. “I just wish we could get a three-second call,” Green said, his voice a mix of exhaustion and exasperation, as he stood in the locker room, sweat still beading on his forehead. The Warriors dropped the game 112-108, and Adams, the Grizzlies’ hulking center, was a thorn in their side all night.
Adams, a 6-foot-11, 265-pound force, parked himself in the key like a tank, racking up 17 points, eight rebounds, and three blocks. His presence choked Golden State’s drives and forced their shooters to rethink every move. Green, who’s built a career on outsmarting bigger foes, couldn’t hide his frustration with the refs’ whistle—or lack thereof. The NBA’s three-second rule, meant to keep players from camping in the paint, seemed to vanish when Adams planted his feet, at least in Green’s eyes.
The Warriors’ defensive anchor wasn’t alone in noticing Adams’ dominance. Golden State’s game plan leaned hard on forcing turnovers and speeding up the tempo, but Adams slowed everything down, clogging the lane and swatting away shots. Official box scores show he altered at least five other attempts, though the stat sheet doesn’t capture the hesitation he sparked in Golden State’s guards. Green, who finished with 12 points, nine rebounds, and a pair of steals, spent much of the night wrestling with Adams’ sheer mass.
This wasn’t the first time Green sounded off about officiating. Earlier in the series, he’d grumbled about calls—or non-calls—that favored Memphis’ physical style. But on April 16, his focus zeroed in on Adams, whose old-school, bruising game has anchored the Grizzlies’ frontcourt since he joined the team. The NBA’s official rulebook defines a defensive three-second violation as lingering in the paint for more than three seconds without actively guarding an opponent. Green’s point: Adams was bending that rule, and the refs were letting it slide.
The series, now tied 3-3, heads to a do-or-die Game 7 in Memphis on April 18. Warriors coach Steve Kerr, in his postgame presser, didn’t echo Green’s referee gripes but admitted Adams’ impact was “huge.” Kerr noted Memphis’ 52 points in the paint compared to Golden State’s 44, a stat that underscores Adams’ role as a game-changer. The Grizzlies’ center shot 7-for-9 from the field, most of his buckets coming from close range, where he muscled through Golden State’s defense.
Green’s comments, made in a postgame interview broadcast on ESPN, stirred chatter among fans and analysts, but the league hasn’t signaled any review of the officiating. The NBA’s Last Two Minute Report, released on April 17, noted no missed three-second calls in the final stretch of Game 6, though it flagged a separate non-call on a Green foul. For now, Green’s plea for a tighter whistle remains just that—a plea.
As the Warriors prep for Game 7, they’ll need to crack the Adams puzzle. Memphis has leaned on his physicality all series, and the stats back it up: the Grizzlies are 4-0 in playoff games this year when Adams plays 30-plus minutes. Golden State, meanwhile, is 2-1 when they hold him under 10 points. The math is clear, but executing against a player like Adams—rulebook or not—is anything but.
Game 7 tips off at FedExForum on April 18, 2025. The winner advances to the Western Conference semifinals.