SAN FRANCISCO — The Warriors’ season flashed before their eyes as Jimmy Butler hung there in midair, parallel to the hardwood below him.

Already without Stephen Curry, the Warriors weren’t built to withstand injuries to their pair of $50 million players. So then, it’s a good thing Butler had been there before, his legs out from under him and the only thing between his body and a crash landing being the air beneath the Chase Center basket.

With a thud, Butler’s 6-foot-6 frame hit the floor.

A short while later, in the postgame locker room following a 104-96 win over the New Orleans Pelicans, the only lasting effect of the potentially catastrophic play was the constant cackle from Draymond Green, endlessly entertained by Butler’s account of the fall — and what padded his landing.

“Straig

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