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LOS ANGELES – The last time the Warriors arrived at this city, they did not look like a championship team. Instead, they became a star-driven team plagued with infighting and injuries.

Draymond Green and Kevin Durant sniped at each other. Green escalated the argument over a playcall by daring him to leave the Warriors when he plans to become a free agent this summer. And Stephen Curry nursed a left groin injury, preventing him both from helping the Warriors as a sharpshooter and peacemaker.

The Warriors (31-14) enter Friday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers (24-20) with much better vibes.

“We’re light years ahead,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr joked.

Kerr an obvious nod to Warriors majority owner Joe Lacob infamously boasting those same words in a New York Times story about the state of the organization. Kerr’s hyperbole also reflected the Warriors’ identify shift in the past two months.

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Then, the Warriors became saddled with injuries to Curry (11 games) and Green (a combined 13 games with a right toe injury in his right foot). They fielded tension between Green and Durant following their argument on Nov. 12 at the end of regulation against the Clippers. And they experienced hiccups with their bench featuring younger players in heightened roles.

And now? The Warriors have a six-game winning streak. Curry, Green, Durant and Klay Thompson are all healthy. And after spending the past year rehabbing a left Achilles tendon, DeMarcus Cousins will make his Warriors debut against the Clippers.

“I’m really proud of our guys,” Kerr said. “I’m really proud of how far we’ve come and how our guys have gotten to this point playing at a high level and playing through frustration and playing through adversity.”

Incidentally, Cousins played an integral role in patching up differences between Durant and Green. Following their argument Cousins separated Green from the group and told him “to lock in.”

“No need to go into detail. It’s not about what I said,” Cousins said. “Those two guys made a decision to get over it for the betterment of ourselves and the team. That’s all that really matters.”

What also matters: the Warriors had the collective experiences, personalities  and talent to overcome those issues.

“I don’t really think it’s something we thought about,” Cousins said. “It was a little bump in the road. It’s a team. There’s going to be disagreements and arguments, and it won’t be the last one. It’s about overcoming that and getting the job done, which those guys did. I don’t think it’s a thought.”

No wonder Kerr argues he should be considered a “manager” and not a “coach.”

Kerr considers “the whole job” to be more about handling personalities than just drawing up plays and practice time. Kerr excelled in the NBA as a sharp shooting role player for 16 years (1988-2003) through five championship teams with the Chicago Bulls (1996-98) and San Antonio Spurs (1999, 2003). That has given him a window on how to play with dominating talent, including Michael Jordan and Dennis Rodman, as well as the handle the emotional swings during an 82-game NBA season.

“As a coach its your job to manage the situation and try to help the guys get back on the right track. Playing in the league was definitely a big help for me in experiencing those ups and downs and helping me figure out how to help as a coach.”

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