The Golden State Warriors are back in the NBA Playoffs after a two-year absence. But it won't be easy cherry-picking for them in the first round, as they face reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.

But for what it's worth, according to a story by NBC Sports Bay Area, the Warriors avoided a “thorn” in their matchup against the Nuggets.

The good news for the Warriors is they won't have to worry about referee Marat Kogut, who has been another thorn in their side over the last few seasons. The NBA announced Monday that 36 referees will be in the rotation for the upcoming playoffs, and Kogut wasn't among the officials selected.

The report cited several examples when the Warriors got the short end of the stick involving Kogut, who Stephen Curry mockingly called “the MVP” in 2019.

Quite interestingly, it also mentioned an eyebrow-raising statistic: The Warriors are only 19-24 in the 43 games with Kogut as the referee.

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The latest run-in of the Warriors with Kogut, who's been in the NBA since 2009, was last March 20. Kogut ejected Draymond Green in the third quarter against the San Antonio Spurs for complaining about a foul call.

While Kogut could be an issue, the Warriors will have to focus more on what they can control. With their lack of size, Jokic will be difficult to stop, especially since he can impact the game in a variety of ways.

Curry, who's still nursing a foot injury, could miss Game 1 against the Nuggets on Saturday.