SAN FRANCISCO – It’s natural after any earthquake to anticipate aftershocks, which is why it was fair to wonder how the Warriors would function after the tremor created by Draymond Green and coach Steve Kerr on Monday.
The Warriors, to a man, expressed zero concerns about any lingering effect. And if Thursday’s performance is any indication, their projection is reality.
Their 126-116 victory over the Dallas Mavericks was generated for the most part by a 71-point first half featuring classic Golden State offense, as drawn up by Kerr. The Warriors shared the ball like newlyweds sharing wedding cake at a reception, and, moreover, seemed to enjoy seeing everybody eat.
Nobody more than Jimmy Butler III, Stephen Curry, Green and Kerr.
“We’ve always been a ball movement team,” Kerr said after a season-high-tying third straight victory. “Steph off the ball is so powerful, and Jimmy loves to pass; Jimmy would prefer to get an assist than a basket. We saw tonight, nine assists and 14 points. He loves that kind of game. Draymond is such good passer.”
The Warriors recorded 33 assists, their highest total in seven weeks, one off their season high, and a sharp contrast to the 21 they averaged over the previous three games and the 22.5 they averaged over the previous 10. Six Warriors recorded at least three assists. Eleven Warriors played, and all 11 scored.
Most impressive, perhaps, is that Golden State gave the Mavericks a grand total of . . . drum roll . . . six points off turnovers.
Kerr and Butler have been saying for weeks that such cohesion is possible with this roster. And there it was, on full display on Christmas Day.
“It was clicking tonight,” Butler said. “We were moving the ball at an incredible pace, finding guys. Sometimes it may look a little bit too unselfish, because we [will pass up] layups, myself included, but we all love to see everybody else shine, so it’s a good problem.”
There were some deficiencies, the most obvious being Golden State’s 28-percent shooting from distance and its defense being ravaged for 72 points in the paint while Dallas shot 55.1 percent from the field.
But the Warriors more than offset that with teamwork and effort. There was plenty of dapping and back-slapping, first quarter to fourth. There was Green bouncing off the bench, each knee wrapped in about 15 pounds of ice bags, to coach up teammates during stoppages.
To the naked eye, Golden State’s esprit de corps channeled a very quick recovery from the heated squabble between Kerr and Green.
The Warriors often struggle early in games, but not on this day. With Al Horford returning after a nine-game absence to ring up 12 points on 4-of-4 shooting from deep, they put up 40 points in the first quarter, taking a 12-point lead into the second. Golden State maintained a lead until the final buzzer.
Green didn’t particularly stand out, playing 28 minutes, finishing with seven points, five rebounds, three assists and two turnovers. His presence, however, was felt by his teammates and by Kerr. There was not the slightest hint of animosity.
“They’re in a better place,” Curry said. “But I was [at the podium Monday] talking about it, how they’re really professional and how they handled it. And that’s how they handled it, and how we handled it as a team.
“Stuff like that happens. They have the equity of years and years of relationship that has had its moments as professionals as you are, you come back and you approach the next day with a fresh start, and they handled yesterday and practice well. We responded well as a team.”
The next test will come on the road, as the Warriors leave Friday for a three-game swing through the Eastern Conference, beginning Sunday at the Toronto Raptors. Can they push their streak to a season high? Will Kerr and Green simply resume the relationship they’ve always had?
“That’s just part of the game,” Butler said, recalling the spat. “When you’ve been together for so long, y’all gonna have arguments. It ain’t gonna be quiet all the time. It’s OK. You’ve got two fierce competitors that have won it together and that want to continually win. We know what it is. And if you were looking at me, I’m just looking up, like, all right. I expect that to happen. That’s okay. We move on from it.”
That’s how it looked on Christmas. But eyes hungry for spectacle will be following the Warriors as they proceed.
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