Facing elimination, Warriors confident they’re not ‘going out like this’

9:51 AM ET

OKLAHOMA CITY — Draymond Green sat at his locker, still in uniform, long after everyone else on the team had dressed and left on Tuesday night. Green will on occasion dispute media criticisms, acting as his own, vociferous lobby. Not tonight. “You have a free pass to blast me,” he told ESPN.com. “You have a free pass. I was f—ing awful.”

He’s not lying. Green, whose Game 3 kick to Steven Adams’ groin brought him an avalanche of accusations and infamy, was indeed quite bad. His passes were off-kilter (six turnovers) and his shooting wasn’t exactly making up the difference (1-of-11). The Thunder blasted the Warriors with a decisive 42 points in the second quarter, an outcome that might not entirely be on Green. Still, he considers himself the kind of defensive leader who can’t let it happen on his watch.

It’s difficult for a team to take solace in “I was f—ing awful,” but that frank admission carries the thinnest of silver linings in Golden State. The season is slipping away, but at least the Warriors have staved off the finger-pointing and recriminations that often accompany playoff collapses. At least they’re maintaining a unified front as Oklahoma City snatches history from their grasp.

Perhaps accountability gives Golden State a chance and perhaps it doesn’t. Though Green wants the burden of blame, there’s another acute issue: The Warriors are drawing dead if his two-time MVP teammate continues to play like this.

Stephen Curry too was awful on Tuesday night, missing five open 3s (he was 2-of-10 from deep total), botching layups and passing into the long arms of the …

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