Draymond Green Doesn’t Hold Back Against Adam Silver After OKC Star Escapes Punishment in NBA Finals

A series that is already buzzing with drama and post-season pressure, Game 4 delivered more than just a battle between the Pacers and the OKC Thunder. When Lu Dort elbowed Tyrese Haliburton in the face and shoved him to the floor, it sent shockwaves through the NBA. No foul was called. No review. No explanation. And yet, the footage was clear, analysts raised eyebrows, social media erupted, for less than the incident and more on who got away with it. And that’s when Draymond Green stepped in.

This moment underscored a rising concern across the league that discipline isn’t always about action in the NBA. Rather, who commits it? Green criticized that punishment is often influenced by reputation, more than the rulebook. And while Adam Silver has built a name for transparency and fairness, this incident has ignited doubt about how consistently those values are applied. 

On an Instagram post by hoopshall, a clip showed Lu Dort’s elbow swinging back into Hali’s head. And Green did not hold back. The Warriors forward dropped a comment in reply to a fan writing, “If that was @money23green”. Suggesting a different outcome, and Green agreed, “suspended rest of the finals. And if the call missed live, let’s add it once the game ends”. His comment was not cryptic; it was a clear jab at Dort? Sure! But also at the NBA’s disciplinary system, and more directly at Commissioner Adam Silver. 

With Green’s reputation, if he had made that move, the league would have thrown the book at him. Yet Durt just gets to walk away. While Adam Silver’s leadership has been praised for his responsiveness and balance, with suspensions of Ja Morant and a lifetime ban for Donald Sterling. But when it comes to a game-by-game enforcement, particularly retroactive discipline, his administration has been more cautious. Though Lu Dart’s brand is physical defense, which has earned him All-Defensive honors, but also has a reputation for crossing a line. And Finals Game 4 has to be the latest example of the NBA failing to act when that line is clearly crossed.

But it seems the OKC-Indiana series is not short of controversy. In Game 4, a game that the Pacers should have won, fans were riled up about something else as well. Here’s what happened. 

Did an uneven whistle cost the Pacers Game 4?

So, Indiana was minutes away from putting a stranglehold on the 2025 NBA Finals. Up by seven points, heading into the fourth quarter, and holding a four-point lead in just under four minutes to play, it could have been a 3-1 lead. But then Shai Gilgeous-Alexander erupted with his offense. Delivered 15 points in the final five minutes. SGA screened for Jalen Williams, while the Pacers could close. 

But that was not all, the officiating crew, led by “The Extender”, Scott Foster, became an unavoidable story. Gainbridge Fieldhouse echoed, “Ref, you suck”, and “F*** Scott Foster”. The Thunder’s defense went almost unchecked while the Pacers got whistled for far less. When Lu Dort shoved Tyrese Haliburton, it ended in the OKC star scoring, not in free throws for Indiana. 

But the Pacers did not complain about the refs in their post-game interviews. Nonetheless, the fans watched, felt the officiating was not just questionable but disruptive. And a game where momentum swung on a handful of critical plays, missed or misjudged calls loomed large.