Steven Adams answers if Draymond Green kicked him below belt on purpose

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Let's take a walk down memory lane to Game 3 of the 2016 Western Conference finals between the Warriors and Oklahoma City Thunder.

With a little less than six minutes remaining in the second quarter, Draymond Green drove on center Steven Adams from the top of the key, and got to the free throw line by drawing a foul on the big man.

But that isn't all that happened:

After a lenghty review, Draymond was hit with a Flagrant 1 (the following day, the NBA upgraded it to a Flagrant 2 and fined him $25,000).

Did the 2017 Defensive Player of the Year hit Adams below the belt on purpose?

"Ummmmm ... (long pause) ... that's a tough one," the New Zealand native said recently on the "Lowe Post" podcast. "It is. That's a tough one. Nah, nah, he didn't. I think he wanted to flail -- he intentionally wanted to flail -- but I don't think (he thought), 'Let me just pinpoint, accurate, shin right into old mate's crown jewels.' I don't think he thought that.

"I thought he was like, 'Ah, there's contact, flail, bang.' Twice in the same series (laughing)."

[RELATED: Draymond Green reacts to Steven Adams' kick]

Twice? In Game 2, Draymond did make contact with Adams' groin region when he went up for a floater in transition. But it was innocuous and not controversial at all.

In case you're curious -- Adams doesn't take any satisfaction with the fact Draymond could not play in Game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals because of an accumulation of flagrant points.

Why not? Because he told Zach Lowe he didn't know that's why Draymond got suspended ... 

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