The Warriors have to applaud the outcome of the brief head-to-head skirmish Sunday night between veteran guard Shaun Livingston and the veteran referee Courtney Kirkland. If nothing else, they can take the court Monday night in New Orleans secure in the belief that the NBA was objective in its decision to punish both men. More specifically, the league acknowledged what was plainly evident to anyone who witnessed the incident in all its angles and speeds: Kirkland not only failed to defuse the situation but actively engaged and further agitated it.