Even as he spent the first 43 games of the season on the sideline while recovering from back problems, Steve Kerr always kept his finger on the pulse of the Golden State Warriors.

That connection, the sense of what buttons to push and what whiteboards to smash, was all over Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

“He has just a great feel for the energy and the temperature of the team,” said Warriors guard Shaun Livingston, who scored 20 points in Golden State’s 104-89 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night. “He’s great at just taking the temperature and finding the right matchups for us and putting us in places where we can excel.”

The Warriors sent a statement to the Cavaliers that the “Strength In Numbers” message on those gold shirts that were draped over the seats at Oracle Arena is so much more than just a catchy slogan.

Kerr’s first big move of the series was the one he didn’t make. After veteran Andre Iguodala helped the Warriors tilt the Western Conference finals and come back from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder, Kerr resisted the temptation to start him against LeBron James and the Cavs.

Iguodala was the Finals MVP a year ago for his all-around performance against the Cavaliers, but Kerr stayed with the same starting lineup that had worked during a record-setting 73-win regular season. The oft-criticized Harrison Barnes started at small forward and hit 3 of 4 shots in the first quarter to get the Warriors rolling.

“Harrison has started for two years and it’s been a pretty good two years for us,” Kerr said. “We’ve had a good run. It’s been very effective playing the way we’ve played in terms of the lineup and the rotation. I didn’t feel any need to change our lineup for Game 1 of the series.”

The ability to step back and look at the bigger picture in the chaos of the moment has always been one of Kerr’s strong suits and the Warriors have flourished under his even-keeled approach.

Even watching Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson morph from the greatest shooting tandem in NBA history into a pair of brick layers wasn’t enough to rattle the seemingly unshakeable coach.