Final three games carry plenty of meaning for Warriors

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The general perception of the Warriors throughout this oscillating season has been transparent: They’re still the best team in the NBA, but a wave of injuries and three extended postseason runs has corroded their tip-to-buzzer vitality.

That the team that spent the previous three regular seasons setting a record for most wins in such a span has nothing to prove in regular-season No. 4.

That changed to a seismic degree Thursday night, when Steve Kerr took a flamethrower to his team’s performance in Indianapolis and Kevin Durant casually pushed back.

The Warriors now have something to prove in the regular season. There are only three games remaining, the first on Saturday against the New Orleans Pelicans, who are in a six-way fight for the final five postseason berths in the Western Conference. That is followed by a game Sunday in Phoenix and then the season-finale on Tuesday at Utah.

Suddenly, those games matter for the Warriors.

The lights on the defending champs now are harsher and brighter than at any time this season. Though there is nothing to be gained in a literal sense, as the Warriors are locked into the No. 2 seed in West, there is much to be gained in terms of their fabled chemistry.

Vultures are always on the periphery of the NBA, and a flock began circling the Warriors seconds after Durant publically disagreed with Kerr. Coach observes a lack of passion in a 20-point loss and questions the heart of his players. Star player calmly differs in opinion and also says the other team “came out with a better strategy.” This is enough to inspire debate in barbershops, on social media, in various sports-talk avenues and around a league that seizes every opportunity to microscope the Warriors.

Understand, though, the Warriors are not entirely new to intrasquad conflict. They’ve navigated through player-on-player friction and coach-player spats and found ways to thrive.

How many times has Draymond Green’s perpetual fire been cited as the threat to this team’s success?

And how many times has general manager Bob Myers or Kerr patiently explained that Green’s perpetual fire -- which generally flares in an effort to make everyone, players and coaches, better -- is a necessary element in that success?

That the Warriors laid down a dud two nights ago is undeniable. Their lagging and sagging on defense allowed 25.8 percent of Indiana’s shots to go uncontested. The Warriors, the league’s No. 1 fast-break team, were outscored 29-10 in that category. Even Durant conceded that their aggression didn’t match that of the Pacers.

Every coach with a championship on his resume has blistered his team a few times. Pat Riley did it with the Lakers, the Knicks and the Heat. Phil Jackson did it with the Bulls and the Lakers. Gregg Popovich does it on a routine basis with the Spurs.

In a season during which roughly half of their 21 losses can be filed under “puzzling,” Kerr has taken only a couple opportunities to vent on his team and himself.

This time, it was Durant’s reaction that raised eyebrows. No NBA player wants to hear his effort being criticized, even if the criticism has merit. Players put in too much work, and the coaching staff knows that.

As the Warriors enter the final four days of their season, they will be scrutinized ever more closely to see if the unity remains tight enough to withstand what could be their most difficult postseason.

They opened this case.

If the Warriors perform over the next three games at a level commensurate to their talent, it’s profound testimony to their recovery powers and maybe their togetherness, thereby closing the case.

If they roll out another dud over any one of those games, the case remains open indefinitely. The barbershop talk increases in volume, the flock of vultures grows larger and only another searing postseason run could prove they’re as tight as ever.

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