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OAKLAND – In recent days, Warriors coach Steve Kerr stressed the need to end their recent struggles by having a more workmanlike attitude. On Thursday morning, Warriors general manager Bob Myers outlined the importance in the team reducing its technical fouls
“Hopefully they remember it for more than five minutes,” Myers said. “You never know. But seems like they were listening a little bit.”
Even if the Warriors listened, they still have mixed results.
The Warriors secured a 121-103 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday at Oracle Arena after overcoming some of the problems that ailed them in previous games, including inconsistent play, turnovers and yielding double-digit runs.
“It took us a while to get going,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “But I like the way we dug our way out.”
After Myers expressed concern about the Warriors’ tendency to become demonstrative toward officials, Warriors forward Draymond Green collected his 14th technical of the season with 8:12 left in the second quarter. Green was called for a delay of game penalty after pushing the ball off his chest after making a layup. Green dismissively waved his hand toward an official. Then a whistle blew. Green is two technicals away from serving a one-game suspension without pay.
“I don’t know what to do at this point,” Green said. “Maybe I should’ve missed the layup like I missed the rest of them. Then it wouldn’t have hit me and then I wouldn’t have gotten a delay of game.”
Kerr argued, “I didn’t think that warranted a tech” before adding a caveat.
“We know our team has been too emotional and too demonstrative,” Kerr said. “We’re going to be under the microscope. We have to be ready for that. We’re just going to have to show better poise.”
The Warriors (42-13) played at least poised enough to secure a win against the Mavericks (17-38). After trailing by as many as 12 points, the Warriors put the game away late in the second half.
Warriors forward Kevin Durant nailed a 3-pointer at the top of the key before the third quarter ended for a 93-85 lead to cap off an 8-2 run. The Warriors then stretched the lead to 104-87 with 8:14 left in the fourth quarter, securing a 9-2 run that entailed Dallas missing its first four shots. The Warriors had plenty of balance from Durant (24 points), Stephen Curry (20), Klay Thompson (18), Green (12) and David West (10).
The Warriors did not always play as pretty. The Mavericks closed the first quarter with a 33-23 lead after going on a 14-2 run. By then, the Warriors already committed five turnovers before ultimately finishing with 20. Unlike in three of their previous four losses, the Warriors corrected their problems.
“Some nights, we’re going to be in a slug fest,” Durant said. “Some nights we’re going to struggle to score. And some nights we’re going to turn the ball over. I don’t think it’s something we should be all up in arms about. But once we start struggling, we can’t get in our own way. We have to keep playing.”
As for the Warriors’ problems with the officiating? That remains a different story.
“They’ve worked very hard as individuals to cultivate a reputation that I think is mostly appreciated out there,” Myers said. “Through their play, their character, their demeanor, the way that Steve coaches, the way they share.”
So, Myers said he told the Warriors, “‘You need to work to protect that. Acknowledge it. That takes care to sustain that — keep that and don’t lose sight of that.’”
The Warriors lead the league in ejections (nine) and are third in technical fouls (47). The NBA also fined Green $50,000 for “directing inappropriate and offensive language toward a game official” during Tuesday’s loss to Oklahoma City. Green became upset with official Lauren Holtcamp after not calling a foul on Oklahoma City forward Jerami Grant elbowed Green in the mouth and caused him to bleed. On Thursday, Green said he would wear braces “for a couple of weeks” after receiving dental treatment on Wednesday.
“Draymond and I are actually more alike than you think,” Kerr said. “We both have the propensity to snap because we’re both incredibly competitive. We both lose it sometimes.”
After all, Green leads the NBA in technical fouls (14), while Kerr is tied for the fourth-most technical fouls (five) among the league’s coaches. Durant also ranks second in technicals (11) and leads the league in ejections (four), while Green has three.
Has that given the Warriors a bad reputation?
“We probably deserve one,” Kerr said. “We’ve got that going for us. If we have that reputation, then we’re earning it. The main thing is just getting back to how we know how to play.”
At least the Warriors took care of that on Monday by securing a win.