Softness at center: Will it matter?

Notes and observations on the Warriors’ inspiring, two-stop trip:

On TNT’s players-only telecast of the game at Oklahoma City on Monday night, former Pistons swingman Richard Hamilton expressed concern with the Warriors’ centers, telling partners Greg Anthony and Kevin McHale, “I’m sorry, but they miss (Andrew) Bogut. The way he initiated the offense by getting the ball in the post and making plays.”

There’s little room for argument, among the experts or the folks at home. Zaza Pachulia is painfully inadequate when needing to work close to the basket. JaVale McGee has been a pleasant surprise, but he still seems something of a novelty. David West’s influence comes and goes.

Here’s the question for the Western Conference playoffs, though: Will it even matter?

It wouldn’t be a problem against Houston, OKC, Dallas or the Clippers, who couldn’t beat the Warriors with the vintage Shaquille O’Neal at center. Utah could steal a game or two behind Rudy Gobert. Same with Memphis (Marc Gasol), Denver (Nikola

Jokic) and Portland (Jusuf Nurkic) — but superior overall talent would prevail in a bestof-seven series. San Antonio is the only Western Conference team with a possible edge over the Warriors, but it goes well beyond matchups in the paint; the Spurs’ system and depth are impressive from any angle.

What would be really interesting: New Orleans sneaking in with DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis, or Minnesota with Karl-Anthony Towns. Now you’re talking about elite big men. But both teams are well back in the race for No. 8 and apparently bound for the lottery. In the wake of his many titanic matchups around the league, guarding Harrison Barnes is a cakewalk for Draymond Green. The number of times the ex-Warrior scored on his former teammate Tuesday night in Dallas: none.

Unbelievable: There were concerns in Dallas on Tuesday morning that Stephen Curry would sit out this second game of a back-to-back. Seriously? He was held out in San Antonio, his game is dramatically on the rise, and he was about to go against his brother, Seth. Has the “rest” issue become that skewed?

The revitalized Seth Curry didn’t have his best game, but as Stephen said during shootaround, “He has that crazy confidence and swag about him. You love to see that. He obviously deserves to be in this league and he’s been proving that every day since he’s shown up in Dallas.”

Seth has a player option for next season, and the forecast has him opting out and cashing in for big money elsewhere. A career journeyman should be careful with that. He’s found a pretty nice situation with the Mavericks.

Kevin Durant made a strong, quiet statement in Oklahoma City. He chose the most uncomfortable setting to travel with the team and sit on the bench during the game. The hecklers were out, and the dreadfully tired “cupcake” theme had a sad refrain, but Durant seemed above it all — sort of like the Warriors against the Thunder.

Russell Westbrook would do well to give up his Stephen Curry obsession. Westbrook once failed to stifle laughter at the interview podium when someone asked him about Curry’s defense. This week, after James Harden got an MVP endorsement from Curry, Westbrook snapped, “Who’s he?” Well, he’s the most exciting guard in the league when he’s draining three-pointers and hitting impossible, spirit-crushing shots at the end of quarters. He and Klay Thompson flow through the OKC defense as if it doesn’t exist — and that’s not going to change as long as they’re healthy. Westbrook has left the floor in defeat seven straight times, and counting, in this matchup.

We still endorse Westbrook, the rampaging force of nature, for MVP. But this will be his undoing in the playoffs: not Curry, Kawhi Leonard or another opponent, but his outside jump shot. Check anyone with a really classic release, from Jerry West to Chris Mullin to Thompson; it’s soft and fluid, like a knife through butter. Westbrook practices his three-point shot with prideful diligence and can get hot at times, but on release, his hands fly off the ball as if he was holding a firecracker. Wali Jones notwithstanding, that’s a deadend street. And thus, Westbrook’s telling three-point numbers: 33.6 percent this season, 31 percent for his career.

League referees continue to view Green as a crazed, felonious threat to mankind. Almost all of his technical fouls are complete jokes now, including the one he drew as a peacemaker during the Curry-Semaj Christon skirmish Monday night. This can’t continue in the playoffs, as we realized last year, when NBA executive Kiki Vandeweghe (who issued a crushing suspension) decided he was more important than Green.