The Warriors have been a composed team, traditionally speaking. Yes, they have moments where everything comes to a boiling point and a player picks up a tech, gets ejected, or simply loses their composure. It happens to everybody. Some more than others (I'm looking at you Suns), but the Warriors are typically a pretty normal with this.

Since hiring Steve Kerr, they've averaged 66-69 techs a season. It's a little on the high side, but plenty of teams around them have had more. They don't have a ridiculous amount of ejections. Here's where they have stacked up during the Kerr era:

SeasonGolden State techsNBA season averageNBA season leader

2014-15

50

46.5

90, Clippers

2015-16

66

53.4

86, Clippers

2016-17

69

52.6

89, Suns

2017-18

28 (on pace for 91.8)

14.8 (on pace for 48.5)

28, Warriors

They've always managed to keep their composure even with the addition of Kevin Durant, a 73-win season, and literally celebrating on the court while beating teams. Which is why the brief incidents where Golden State players have lost their composure this season has been a little odd. Here's a quick rundown:

  • Durant has been ejected three times already. 
  • Draymond Green and Durant are second and third in the NBA in technical fouls, respectively. 
  • The Warriors lead the NBA as a whole in techs.

It's reached the point to where Steve Kerr is noticing a trend. He's pretty frustrated with his team's inability to keep their poise as of late. Via Mercury News: 

"We're not composed out there. We're a championship team," Kerr said. "We have to be poised and we have to execute out there. We're getting way too emotional, myself included. I have to do a better job of that, too. But you got to show some poise when things aren't going our way. Stop worrying about everything else and worry about the game."

So what's the deal with the Warriors? Is this a group losing their composure and unable to keep themselves together anymore? They're just trying to get through the regular season grind while the rest of the league is gunning for the defending champs on a nightly basis. That can lead to stressful and emotional games. Is that enough to rattle a team like Golden State or is this just a blip that we'll eventually forget once they play for another championship come late May?

Oct. 22: Ejections in Memphis after Curry tosses mouthguard, Durant flashes ring finger

The first major incident came at the end of their third game of the season -- a loss in Memphis that moved Golden State to 1-2. In the closing moments, with the game already out of reach and the players already frustrated at the result, Stephen Curry drove in for a layup. He thought he got fouled on the play, and when it wasn't called, he threw his mouthpiece in anger at the direction of the ref. Curry was immediately ejected from the game.

In the commotion that followed, Durant had some choice words for the referees and managed to get himself ejected as well. On the way out he shot a fan the bird -- with his ring finger.

This was a complete lack of composure and poise on the part of the Warriors. There's letting frustration getting the better of you and then there's this. Moments like this are what Kerr means when he says they can't let their emotions get too much of the best of them. At the time, however, it was just one isolated incident.

Oct. 27: Draymond Green and Bradley Beal fight

Later in October, the Warriors were playing the Wizards, and once again the emotions ran high -- this time involving Draymond Green and Washington guard Bradley Beal. The two had been getting physical with each other all game and it came to a boiling point in the second quarter. Green grabbed on to Beal and the fight spilled behind the basket. The results of it left Green with a ripped jersey.

After the game, multiple players and coaches talked about the altercation. Green said he got hit in the face and was frustrated with the decision to eject him from the game.

"I don't know what you're supposed to do if someone hits you twice," Green told ESPN. "Man, you're taught as a kid not to allow that. What was I supposed to do? 

"There's a history with me and the NBA. That's the only reason I can think of why I was ejected."

While Steve Kerr couldn't comment on the fight due to a lack of visual on it, he echoed Green's frustrations with being ejected, but he wasn't sure if that was due to the fight or a second technical foul.

"I'm not sure why [Green] got kicked out. I'm not sure if it's because it was his second technical or if he would have been kicked out anyway, because he was in an altercation. I wasn't thrilled with his first technical. I didn't think he deserved it. He deserved a delay of game. I was standing right next to Draymond and the official, and he didn't swear, he say anything insulting. He was pleading his case and I don't think he deserved a T. I was upset that the second T led to the ejection because I didn't think he deserved the first T. But I don't know if he was ejected for two Ts or because it's an automatic ejection because they assumed he was fighting. There was such a scrum going on down there, I didn't know what was happening."  

This could arguably be viewed as a lack of composure on Green's end. He allowed another player's physicality to get under his skin. However, as the video showed, he did get hit in the face. That isn't condoning his response, but this feels more like a one-time moment in relation to the game as opposed to a sign that the Warriors have somehow become a team that lacks poise. Fights happen.

Dec. 1: Kevin Durant ejected in Orlando

The next incident didn't come until December. It's where the relationship between Golden State players and the refs really kicked up another notch. A Golden State player has hit the showers early over the last three games, and Kevin Durant has been involved in two of the three incidents them. The first was a very random and bizarre moment in Orlando.

Durant started speaking to the ref after he was running back to the other side of the following a made basket. He was immediately ejected from the game with only one tech.

The Warriors went on to win in a blowout, and at the time the game appeared to be in hand, but it was still odd nonetheless. For Durant to decide right then and there he was going to get himself an ejected made little sense. After the game, he expressed his frustration by saying the ejection was related to a previous uncalled foul.

"The refs run the game, so if they're not feeling good today they can make any decision they want. I know they got all the power. I just gotta shut up and take it. ... I guess I tried to show him up and he didn't like it so he threw me out. ... It should have been two shots, but he didn't give me an explanation on that cause I kept asking him about it."  

Steve Kerr echoed Durant's complaints about the uncalled foul:

"He got fouled on a shot and for some reason they didn't give him two free throws, which was kind of bizarre. It was one of the most bizarre non-calls I've ever seen. It looked so obvious that he should have been at the line. So, I'm sure he was upset about it. I was upset about that too." 

Keep in mind at the time of Durant's ejection, the most recent thing to happen to Golden State was the Green-Beal altercation. Durant hadn't been involved in an ejection since the Grizzlies game. So it's hard to mark this one as a lack-of-composure situation, but it's still odd that Durant chose to get himself ejected. Kerr mentioned that he said the magic words (typically swearing) to earn the early exit, and surely Durant knew what he was doing there. 

Dec. 3 Shaun Livingston headbutts ref in Miami

The incidents are starting to build up here, and this one involving a frustrated Shaun Livingston and a referee was bizarre. Livingston loses his patience with the officials and literally gives referee Courtney Kirkland a piece of his mind. He gets in his face and gives a slight headtap. Livingston is immediately ejected for the first time in his career.

What's odd about this incident isn't just Livingston (of all players) losing his cool -- it was the face-to-face image that spread like wildfire on social media. It almost looks like Kirkland is moving towards him and putting his face in Livingston's. Via Mercury News:

"They just got face-to-face. Emotions got up real fast," (David) West told Bay Area News Group. "All I tried to do is just get in between them. Usually both of those guys are pretty mild mannered. It caught me off guard. I was slipping a little bit. I'll do better the next time."

Kirkland was removed from rotation for games for a week and Livingston was suspended for one game. Obviously, the league agreed that Kirkland's reaction to Livingston was weird. This is a moment where Golden State's composure could be taken into question. If even Livingston is getting ejected, has the team itself lost their cool? 

That said, why is Kirkland stepping up to a player in this incident? It didn't help that it happened the game after Durant's ejection against the Magic. Now, the Warriors are under a spotlight with how they're reacting to calls.

Dec. 3: Durant ejected again after run-in with Cousins

All of this reaches a pinnacle (we hope) with Durant's second ejection in three games, and the Golden State's third straight game with an ejection. Durant gets into an altercation with the Pelicans' DeMarcus Cousins. Once again, the dust-up spills over and the two have to be separated from each other. Durant is ejected along with Cousins.

After the game, the Warriors admitted that they had been losing their poise. With three straight incidents, Kerr is frustrated and Durant is saying he can't let it happen anymore. Via Mercury News:

"I think that took us out of the game a little bit," Durant said. "We have to stay poised in those situations and myself. I can't get involved with that type of stuff. I got to stay locked in and stay focused on the game. What's most important is the game."

The real issue with Durant's ejection, besides it being his third of the season, is how close in proximity they're happening to each other. Players get ejected sometimes. Players complain a lot. Teams get in scuffles. Referees have bad days and make bad calls. All of this usually goes unnoticed, because it happens over a very long season from October to April.

However, with two incidents in October and three in a row recently, the Warriors' ability to stay composed in these situations has been called into question. Kerr has adamantly defended his players at every turn, but after Monday night he ripped into his team for it, saying that he regretted not bringing it up postgame. It's an issue that Golden State very much wants and needs to solve.

So, what does this mean for them the rest of the season? Are the Warriors going to be a team all season picking up techs, having stars get ejected, and consistently putting bad spotlight on them -- or is this just an odd three games? 

The numbers, along with their current pace suggest it's not a blip, but good teams know to handle themselves when something doesn't go their way. They pull themselves together at low points. And considering that the history tells us they're a pretty league-average team in terms of ejections and techs, one has to assume this will all balance out. It's a low point in a very long season, but it's one worth paying attention to. All of this does stack up after all.