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Head coach Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors talks with Brandin Podziemski #2
As inspirational sports speeches go, it did not exactly rank up there with “Win One for the Gipper” or Jim Valvano’s “Never Give Up.” But credit Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr for being realistic about his team’s situation, and about delivering the cold facts of what’s possible for this team.
Golden State was blown out on Wednesday night in Boston, 120-99. That drops the Warriors to 6-13 since Stephen Curry went out with patellar tendinitis, and drops them to 33-36 on the season. With Portland beating Indiana, the Warriors are now in 10th in the West, sitting at the bottom of the league’s play-in tournament.
With 13 games left to play it might still be technically possible for the Warriors to make up the nine games to move to No. 6 in the West, which would grant the Warriors a spot in the playoffs. But that’s not happening, Kerr conceded. In fact, he conceded that No. 7, where the Suns are 39-30 (six games ahead), is out of range, too.
Yes, after the loss to Boston, Kerr plopped down in the interview room and said the Warriors’ best hope now is to play for seventh place, where the Clippers are 1.5 games ahead of the Warriors and Blazers.
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Kerr is not wrong, of course, about the Warriors’ spot in the standings and hope for the next few weeks–it’s just rare to hear a coach be so blunt. But Kerr said he has been telling the players who are healthy that the team needs to be better on a possession-to-possession basis, because that is going to allow Golden State the chance to survive the play-in and get to the playoffs.
It will also help a smooth re-entry for Curry, as well as Al Horford and wing Moses Moody.
“We’re going to be in the play-in one way or the other,” Kerr said. “So we have to prepare, we have to be prepared for when we get guys back, for when Steph’s back, and Moses and Al. If we are prepared when they get back, we can do some damage, we can go on a run.
“But we can’t have game-plan mistakes. We have got to build better habits. Boxing out, taking care of the ball in transition, taking care of the ball in transition, that sort of thing.”
Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors
GettyStephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors
Steve Kerr: No. 8 Seed ‘Would Be Ideal’
The Warriors shot only 40% from the field and 23% from the 3-point line, and were hammered on the boards, 49-39.
Said Kerr: “Our guys are playing hard, we are proud of them. Shots did not go in tonight. But what I am most interested in is our process and I thought it was lacking in some areas tonight, we’ve got to tighten some things up.”
He also said the Warriors know their assignment, and know that preparing for a play-in/playoff run starts now.
“We’ve had our eyes on six for a while now but that’s out of the question now. We’re not getting there,” Kerr said. “If we can string together some wins, try to get to eight, that would be ideal, get two cracks at it. But, we’re not getting to seven, we know that. I’ve been talking about this theme, not in so much precise words like I just used.
“But I have been telling the guys, we have to build our habits and be ready for when we get guys healthy again. Because then we can have the firepower that can be complemented by good habits, good fundamentals.”