When the Warriors take on the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the NBA playoffs beginning on Saturday night, they will face notorious nemesis Will Barton, who has had numerous big games in the past against them.
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.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
The most notable incident involving Kogut and the Warriors happened just over three years ago, when they were taking on the Timberwolves in Minnesota on March 29, 2019.
With the Warriors trailing by three points in the final seconds, Kevin Durant was fouled while shooting a 3-pointer. He made the shot and thought he was going to go to the free-throw line for a chance at a four-point play that could have given them the lead. But Kogut ruled that the foul was before the shot, forcing the Warriors to inbound the ball again.
That's when Steph Curry came to the rescue, hitting a corner 3-pointer with 0.5 seconds remaining. As he ran back down the court, the two-time NBA MVP pointed directly at Kogut, clearly taunting the official for the prior call on Durant's shot.
The Timberwolves went on to win thanks to another controversial foul on Durant and after the game, Curry didn't bite his tongue when addressing the officiating and Kogut in particular, calling him the "MVP of tonight."
The latest run-in with Kogut came a few weeks ago when he ejected Draymond Green in the Warriors' game against the San Antonio Spurs on March 20.
Kogut has been an NBA referee since the 2009-10 season and has worked 43 Warriors games during that span. Golden State is 19-24 in those games, per Basketball Reference.
RELATED: Steph Curry a game-time decision for Game 1 vs. Nuggets
Golden State Warriors
Find the latest Golden State Warriors news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.
The Nuggets are 26-19 in games officiated by Kogut.
NBA teams generally don't worry too much about which referees are assigned to their games, but when there's a history like the one between the Warriors and Kogut, it's noteworthy when a team can avoid a certain ref.