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OAKLAND, Calif. -- Zaza Pachulia heard it all day. All week. All year, even. For the second straight season, the Golden State Warriors would be sending four players to the NBA All-Star Game -- something that no NBA team had ever done in consecutive seasons.

But we all know you need five starters to play this game, and Zaza is that fifth Beatle -- you know, the one that never gets any attention.

"I'll be on the beach somewhere watching them clowning around and having a good time," Pachulia said of his All-Star break plans following the Warriors' 123-112 win over the New York Knicks on Tuesday. "I'm gonna make them jealous as well -- send them pictures of me laying down and getting tan on the beach."

Pachulia shares that dry wit that so many of the Warriors have in common, later using it to poke fun at Kevin Durant's career-high 14 assists: "That's embarrassing for him to have a career high in assists -- he should start passing the ball more often. Come on, this is embarrassing."

Or when he was asked about playing with four All-Stars: "That makes me an All-Star too, right?"

He used it once again when talking about his performance against the Knicks, one of his best of the season. The 6-foot-11 center from Georgia (the country, not the state) scored 13 points in 14 minutes on Tuesday night, almost as good of a point-per-minute ratio as All-Star teammate Stephen Curry, who scored 32 in 33 minutes.

The pinnacle came when Pachulia drove the Warriors' bench into an absolute frenzy by undressing Knicks center Enes Kanter with his version of a dream shake, using a couple of pump fakes before finishing with a half-hook.

"I heard that I couldn't make the All-Star Game, so I started to be very aggressive and attacking to put some numbers up," Pachulia said sarcastically. "That's all I could be able to do in 14 minutes."

He's quick to joke, but Pachulia appreciates better than anyone the ability to line up every night next to four of the best players in the NBA. The vast majority of his minutes this season have come with the starting unit that led the Warriors to an NBA title last season: Curry, Durant, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green ... and Pachulia.

His name stands out like a sore thumb on a team as talented as any we have seen, and many have questioned whether the Warriors would be better off looking for another center to complete their dream lineup -- or whether Pachulia should be replaced with a younger teammate like Jordan Bell or Kevon Looney.

But Pachulia brings a toughness and certain intangibles that the Warriors sorely need. It's one thing to have a bunch of shooters on your team, but it doesn't do you much good if they can't get open -- and it's in that department where Pachulia shines. He leads the NBA with 7.1 screen assists per 36 minutes, according to NBA.com. That means he's freeing up the All-Stars to do the thing that makes them All-Stars -- put the ball in the bucket.

"Zaza's such a great player for us. He's just smart and he sets great screens," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said moments after flatteringly mistaking a certain reporter for 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. "He gets to the right spots, and when you've got all those players around you who are so good offensively, you're gonna have some openings."

Pachulia takes his scoring openings when they arise, but they're few and far between in less than 15 minutes per game. He's scored in double figures just seven times this season, with a high of 17 points against the Grizzlies on Dec. 30.

Getting to take the court with a historic quartet every night isn't lost on him, either. The 33-year-old played on five other teams before joining the Warriors, so he relishes the opportunity to be a part of something so special.

"We have done so many great things throughout the seasons. I joined this team last year and obviously we've seen some crazy stuff," Pachulia said. "Klay's on fire, scores 60 points in less than 30 minutes. Steph makes 13 3s. KD and Draymond with triple-doubles, and quadruple-doubles with the turnovers (there's that humor again).

"Us scoring 81 points in a half and 45-point quarters. We've seen so much amazing stuff, breaking records and records and records. It's fun, but at the same time understanding that you gotta keep it simple. That's what makes us really special, and one of the greatest teams ever."