The latest drama surrounding a Warriors NBA playoff series isn't about a "dirty" play, but the topic still is lingering after several days.
The NBA fined the Dallas Mavericks $100,000 on Sunday for violating league rules regarding the decorum of the team's bench during games. Dallas was fined twice -- $25,000 and $50,000 -- during their previous series against the Phoenix Suns for the exact same violation.
The latest incidents occurred during the Warriors' Game 2 win at Chase Center on Friday night in the Western Conference finals.
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With the series shifting back to American Airlines Center in Dallas for Game 3 on Sunday night, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd and Warriors coach Steve Kerr were asked about the issue and fine during their pregame press conferences.
"If you want to talk about the bench, we can talk about the bench, that's on you," Kidd said. "We don't talk about the bench. You guys did the article on the bench and that's how we started getting fined because you brought light to it. So you guys should be paying the fine.
"So the media is at fault here. But we don't complain and that's the truth. We lose with class and we win with class and that's what we're about."
Kerr has spoken a few times over the last few days about how he enjoys the Mavericks players on the bench showing energy for their team, as long as it doesn't impact the action on the court.
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In Game 3, it appeared the Mavericks bench was influencing what was happening when the Warriors had the ball in the second half.
"I love the energy of those guys," Kerr told reporters 90 minutes before tipoff Sunday. "You can feel their togetherness. So, all that's good as long as there's no interference with the action that's happening. For us, for most teams, guys are these days, modern NBA, more engaged on the bench and there's more theatrics and more dancing and all in all, I think it's pretty good stuff. But I think the difference is, it's tough to differentiate Dallas' assistant coaches from their players who aren't suited up and there's a huge mixture of people up there, which is fine as long as what happened the other night doesn't happen, where somebody with the same color shirt as us calls for the ball.
"And Steph threw it to him. It was a good pass. He was open. That's the only problem I have with it. Everything else is great. The trash talking, the energy, I think fans like seeing that. They want the athletes to care, players to care, but if it affects the game, it goes a little far."
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Mavericks owner Mark Cuban sent out a sarcastic tweet after the fine, while Tim Hardaway Jr. and Theo Pinson, both of whom aren't playing in the series and were standing throughout the first two games in San Francisco, also fired off tweets about the fine.
The issue likely isn't going away as the Mavericks need all the energy they can muster up to get back into the Western Conference finals. Dallas is looking to avoid falling into a three-games-to-none hole at home on Sunday night in the best-of-seven series.