Nevius: Which version of the Warriors will show up to play Game 7?

HOUSTON

As they take the floor tonight for Game 7 of the Western Conference final against the Rockets, the Warriors face an odd question.

Who are they?

You’d think, as they suit up for the 99th game of the season, their identity would be pretty much established. But the personality of a team can morph and change, depending on the opponent, the situation and - most commonly - the anxious feeling that what they are doing is not working.

Therefore we have gotten Kevin Durant doing a LeBron James at the top of the key, giving the floor a quick look and then either launching a contested 3 or trying to barrel into the lane.

The alternative is the beautiful game we’ve come to know. It is jitterbug dribbling by Steph Curry, long swooping 3s from Klay Thompson and point forward passes by Draymond Green.

The Warriors have tried both approaches in these playoffs. But here’s the qualifier. Only one works.

Houston has a collection of burly, beer keg-shaped defenders, who are not going to let you lower your head and bum rush your way into the lane. Eric Gordon and P.J. Tucker can chest up with the best of them. And before he was injured, Chris Paul was another stocky, bump-and-grind defender.

With the Rockets forcefully nudging him, Durant will catch a pass in the lane, but by the time he’s dribbled three times and been hip-checked, he ends up 20 feet away, trying a fadeaway jumper.

The irony is that the counter to defensive brute force is delicate offensive finesse. The Rockets overplay their man, so back-cuts are open for Thompson jump shots. If a defender is right in Curry’s face, he can go herky-jerky and get around him.

But with the series on the line and each team a game away from the NBA Finals, it is easy to lose faith in the process. And it isn’t as if you are not going to see rushed, one-on-one shots jacked up.

They happen in every game. The tyranny of the 24-second clock means that, as the numbers wind down to single digits, there is no such thing as a bad shot. Just get something up there and at least hit the rim before the buzzer goes off.

So, before we join the chorus of “KD has to stop playing hero ball,” let’s be clear. Durant is the Warriors’ best one-on-one option. With the clock expiring, no one has a problem with him working for his own shot. In fact, the team expects it.

But first, some offensive flow. It’s a delicate balance.

That’s why it was such a nice move Saturday night when coach Steve Kerr offered Durant a seat and went with a core of Curry, Thompson and Green.

And suddenly the Hamptons Five (named for the group formed when Durant held job interviews in the Hamptons) turned back into the Three Amigos.

The ball skipped from Curry to Green to Thompson. Open looks were created on the move, and 3s were splashed.

It was like the return of an old friend. Writers who cover the team seem to eventually describe the free-flow offense as “equalitarian,” and that’s the perfect word for it.

It is also a reminder that this team won a championship with that style, before a trip to the Hamptons.

And that, although we’ve mostly bought into the narrative that the addition of Durant has made this a super-team, it hasn’t always been smooth.

In KD’s first year there were stories that Curry and Thompson were not sure of their roles. Should they defer to Durant, who after all, has won four NBA scoring titles?

By all accounts it has been settled. Curry basically said that he understood he should just play his usual game and let the touches sort themselves out.

But has there ever been a team with this many mega-stars and zero conflict? There are bound to be a few bumps in the road.

Obviously, the immediate concern is tonight’s game. But it is worth looking down the road, too.

Strictly speaking, this is likely the end of the Hampton Five. Andre Iguodala has been injured, and much has been made of the effect of his absence. But his shot has been iffy all year and even as savvy as he is, he’s got to be heading toward the end of his career.

The Warriors’ second unit, once their secret weapon, doesn’t have its old pep and bite. A lineup of Nick Young, Quinn Cook, David West, Shaun Livingston and Kevon Looney doesn’t scare anyone.

Young Jordan Bell is bouncy, high energy and you want to root for him, but he always seems to be getting pulled out so someone can explain what he’s doing wrong. Looney works uber-hard, but why does it seem every pass catches him by surprise?

At the end of this season, it is odd to look down the bench and see three 7-foot centers, JaVale McGee, Zaza Pachulia and Damian (going to get it going any day now) Jones. Wasn’t this the team that was going to make the center position obsolete?

It’s an odd and fascinating situation. Whether the team wins tonight and goes to the even-more-pressure-packed Finals, or loses and begins planning for next year, they will have to confront a key question going forward.

Who are they?

Contact C.W. Nevius at cw.nevius@pressdemocrat.com. Twitter: @cwnevius.