Draymond Green not letting outbursts overshadow performance

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Late in the first half of the Warriors’ Game 3 win over Utah on Saturday, after getting subbed out for David West, Draymond Green was assessed his first technical of the postseason for jawing with official Bennie Adams from the bench.

“I deserved it,” Green said after practice Wednesday.

That it took until Golden State’s seventh playoff game for him to receive a technical was significant progress for Green. Less than a year after getting suspended from Game 5 of the NBA Finals for one too many on-court transgressions, he is trying to limit his run-ins with referees without sacrificing his signature bravado.

Unlike last postseason, when his antics overshadowed his performance, Green is keeping the focus — for the most part, at least — on his dominant play. As Golden State waits to learn whether it’ll face Houston or San Antonio in the Western Conference finals, Green ranks third in the playoffs in blocks (2.6 per game), is tied for sixth in steals (2.0), tied for seventh in assists (7.3), and tied for 10th in rebounding (9.1).

His 14.9 points per game in the postseason are 4.7 more than he averaged in the regular season. In the Warriors’ Game 4 win Monday over the Jazz, Green recorded his third career playoff triple-double with 17 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds.

His defense, widely considered the league’s best in the regular season, has reached another level. Though Utah averaged 105 points per 100 plays with Green on the bench in the four-game series, it scored 95 points per 100 with him on the floor. According to NBA.com, the Jazz shot 3-for-10 from close range in Game 4 with Green nearby.

“He has carte blanche,” acting head coach Mike Brown said of Green’s role in Golden State’s switch-heavy defensive scheme. “Steve (Kerr) has empowered him since day one to quarterback the defense, and he does a heck of a job in that regard.”

A brash, emotional leader, Green is at his best when playing the villain. His tenacity has been a driving force behind the Warriors’ rise to the top of the NBA hierarchy. On a team featuring reserved All-Stars Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson, Green provides a necessary spark.

Golden State Warriors' interim head coach Mike Brown instructs Draymond Green against Portland Trail Blazers in 1st quarter in Game 4 of NBA Western Conference 1st Round Playoffs at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon on Monday, April 24, 2017. less Golden State Warriors' interim head coach Mike Brown instructs Draymond Green against Portland Trail Blazers in 1st quarter in Game 4 of NBA Western Conference 1st Round Playoffs at Moda Center in Portland, ... more Photo: Scott Strazzante, The Chronicle Photo: Scott Strazzante, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 19 Caption Close Draymond Green not letting outbursts overshadow performance 1 / 19 Back to Gallery

Coaches realize that, to maximize his greatness, they must be careful not to rein in his physicality. It is why Kerr hardly complained when Green piled up 14 technicals in the regular season, tied for fourth most in the NBA and only two shy of a league-mandated suspension.

“Steve didn’t hold him back, and I don’t want to, either,” said Brown, who has led Golden State to six straight wins since replacing the ailing Kerr before Game 3 of the first round. “We want him to be Draymond. We feed off his emotion. We feed off his passion and his leadership. We’re good with how he is.”

Few can fault officials for being wary of Green. This is the player who, twice during the 2016 Western Conference finals, nailed Oklahoma City center Steven Adams in the groin — once with a knee, once with a foot.

In the NBA Finals against Cleveland, after hitting LeBron James in the groin, Green was left to watch Game 5 from the Coliseum. Many considered his absence the turning point as the Warriors squandered a 3-1 series lead.

Though plenty of his technicals this past regular season were earned, Green at times seemed the victim of his reputation. He twice was assessed technicals for screaming in excitement. Within a week’s span in late December, Green got technicals for hanging on the rim after a dunk and angrily storming to the bench.

Now, as he tries to avoid repeating last spring’s incidents, Green is being especially mindful of how he interacts with referees. Though he got heated several times during the Warriors’ first six playoff games, he managed to calm down soon enough to avoid a technical.

“I’m extra mindful of everything,” Green said. “I’m trying to focus all my energy on the task at hand and not really pay attention to anything else.”

But after Green was whistled for his third foul late in the second quarter of Game 3 against Utah, he got in Bennie Adams’ face for an expletive-filled rant. Moments later, while stomping toward Golden State’s bench, he signaled “2-0” with his right hand at a particularly vocal fan. It was shortly after Green sat down that he shouted at Adams, “That’s B.S.!”

Aware that he had gone too far, Green shrugged off the technical. One postseason transgression can’t undo the strides he has made since watching Game 5 of the Finals from a suite at the Coliseum.

“He’s a smart guy,” Brown said of Green, who is six technicals away from a one-game suspension. “He knows what he’s doing probably 100 percent of the time. If not 100 percent of the time, then 99 percent of the time.”

Connor Letourneau is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cletourneau@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Con_Chron

Calmer Green?

He has played only eight games, but this postseason version of Draymond Green appears to be much more in control of his emotions than in previous years:

Year DQ Techs Flagrant 2012-13 2 0 1 2013-14 2 0 1 2014-15 2 3 0 2015-16 0 5 2 2016-17 0 1 0