OKLAHOMA CITY – These Golden State Warriors are a rollicking, rolling party bus, the loudest and surest sounds forever coming out of this corner of the dressing room. For now, Draymond Green gathered himself in the stillness of the air, uncomfortable with the morose mood surrounding him. He sifted through text messages on his phone and confessed the truth over a sudden and spectacular failure in these Western Conference finals.

"It's stunning," Green told The Vertical. "This is not where we expected to be."

Alone in the corner of the locker room – only the sound of showers in the distance – Green considered the circumstances of the Oklahoma City Thunder train running through these wobbly Warriors. The Warriors are down 3-1, the greatest regular season in NBA history slipping away on a lost trip to America's dust bowl.

"Yeah, it's pretty stunning," Green said.

View photos Kevin Durant (right) and the Thunder limited Stephen Curry to 19 points. (Getty Images) More

Within a devastating 118-94 loss, the agony manifested itself in what Green couldn't give his teammates and organization: His gratitude for staying with him through the 24-hour referendum surrounding his kick to Steven Adams' testicles. Green had cast himself the villain, and needed to push past a lousy performance in Game 3 and a national debate over the NBA's ruling to deliver his vintage self. Only, Green was worse on Tuesday night. He missed six of his seven shots, turned the ball over six times and was a minus-30 for the game.

Green should've had Chesapeake Energy Arena livid that the NBA passed on suspending him, livid that he fed upon all the anger and channeled it into the destruction of the Thunder. All his life, Green found a way to validate his villainous basketball self, and he failed on Tuesday night.

"It's who I am," Green told The Vertical. "It's what I've always done. It's what I've thrived off. It's frustrating, because I know that's who I always am.

"And right now, I'm not myself. I'm thinking too much, and that's leading to all the things that I'm not supposed to be doing.

"I just … I just have to be me."

He was talking a hushed, even tone. No bravado. The Warriors have been humbled, taken apart, piece by piece and Green found himself searching for solutions. Soon, Stephen Curry made his way back to the chair beside him, and the truth was unmistakable: No more countdowns to records, no more bows, no more bouquets. The Thunder are systematically destroying the Warriors, a merciless bludgeoning born of anger and desperation, size and speed, and spectacular skill. The Thunder have the champs in the middle of the ring and they're teeing off on them now – jab, jab and roundhouse rights leaving the Warriors bloody, bowed and on the brink.

Curry has been a shell of himself – missing shots, throwing away passes, losing his dribble and completely unable to prove that there's Curry-esque agility in that knee. "He's playing at 70 percent, at best," a source close to Curry told The Vertical. Curry refuses to make excuses, but privately the Thunder see something – no explosion, no ability to make the bigs switching onto him pay a price. Nineteen points on 20 shots Tuesday night bore no resemblance to the two-time NBA Most Valuable Player.

View photos The Warriors will need more from Curry (left) and Draymond Green. (Getty Images) More

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