Warriors beat:
Kerr reflects on road to 300th game as NBA head coach.
In May 2014, when he rebuffed an offer from the Knicks to take over the Warriors, Steve Kerr knew he was inheriting an enviable situation.
The Southern California native wouldn’t need to leave his home state for his first head-coaching job. With a strong core of players headlined by Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, Golden State was poised to build off a 51-win season.
But even Kerr couldn’t have predicted everything that led to his 300th career game Tuesday night: three NBA Finals appearances, two championships, a league-record 73-win season. His 82.9 percent clip is the best in NBA history for a head coach entering his 300th game.
“I’ve definitely changed just in terms of my knowledge of the NBA,” Kerr said, reflecting on the past 3½ seasons. “I came in with a lot of ideas, but I’m not sure if I really knew what the hell I was doing. I pretended like I did. I think the key for any coach is to have talent at the beginning.
“When you have a lot of talent from the beginning of your coaching career, you can implement things that work, then you can get credibility for winning, and grow as a coach while you’re winning. I was very fortunate to have this job as my first one.”
Kerr has Golden State wellpositioned to chase its third NBA title in four years. His team entered his 300th game with the league’s highest-scoring offense this season and ranked sixth in defensive rating. After losing to Oklahoma City on Tuesday, the Warriors are one game ahead of Houston for the top Western Conference seed — and they have yet to maximize their potential.
More than a loaded roster, many credit Golden State’s egalitarian, joyful ethos for the team’s success. Kerr, who balances a competitive edge with an easygoing approach, realizes that such a locker-room culture wouldn’t be possible without players who jibe with what he is about.
“When you come in, you want to have a style, and for that style to be reflected by the team,” Kerr said. “I think for me, having the players that we do made my vision so much easier to achieve.” Encouraging words: Two weeks ago, after Oklahoma City guard Andre Roberson sustained a season-ending ruptured patellar tendon in a win over Detroit, Warriors forward Kevin Durant shot him an encouraging text.
“I let him know I’m here if he ever needs to talk or anything because I’ve been through it, you know, injuries and how you feel when you’re going through them,” said Durant, who played with Roberson in Oklahoma City for three seasons (2013-16). “Just try to give him somebody else to lean on if he needs some advice or just some encouragement. I’ll always be here for him.”