Kerr: Minutes will increase for Curry
NEW ORLEANS >> Warriors coach Steve Kerr predicted this.
After Stephen Curry dazzled in his playoff debut in Game 2 of the Warriors’ Western Conference semifinals series against New Orleans on Tuesday, Kerr said he thought Curry’s second game back could be a bit tougher.
“That’s just been my experience both and as a player and as a coach,” Kerr said. “The second one, when the adrenaline is gone, reality sets in and then you’ve got to grind through it a little bit.”
In his second game back from sustaining a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his left knee that sidelined him for 5½ weeks, Curry had 19 points on 31.9 percent shooting in the Warriors’ 119-100 loss to the Pelicans in Game 3 on Friday. Curry made only three of his nine 3-point attempts.
It was a sharp downtick from Game 2, when Curry had 28 points on 53.3 percent shooting, including making five of his 10 3-point shots. After Friday’s game, Curry chalked that disparity to him rushing his shots, adding, “I’m not going to get in my head about it.”
According to Kerr, it’s only natural that there will be a bit of an adjustment period for Curry after he was sidelined for so long. That being said, Kerr also anticipates something very different come Game 4 today.
“The third game is usually amazing,” Kerr said with a smile.
Curry played just over 27 minutes in Game 2 and just over 28 minutes in Game 3. Kerr said he’s going to keep increasing Curry’s time on the court.
“He’s gaining conditioning every day, so we can definitely increase the minutes,” Kerr said.
Curry has an incredible history of playing great basketball when he returns to the court after an injury, but Kerr said it will take time for the two-time MVP to truly gain back his confidence and trust his body.
“The good news is as you move on, the rhythm comes back and the routine comes back,” Kerr said. “I think that’s what you’re going to see from Steph. He’s going to step into a much more comfortable role, not only within the offense, but in his being, within his body. He’s feeling better every day.”
• Draymond Green fires up the Warriors in different ways. Sometimes he screams at his teammates. Sometimes he gets in referees’ faces. But on Saturday, a day after the Warriors’ Game 3 loss, Green called out two of his teammates in front of the media.
“I still don’t think KD or Steph (Curry) was aggressive enough,” Green said.
Durant intends to rectify that in Game 4, saying he’s going to play with force.
“Be engaged on my defensive assignment, not getting beat off the dribble,” Durant said. “Talking if I see a screen, and switching out if my guy screens somebody. On offense, just getting to my spots and knocking down shots and playing the right way. If somebody’s open on the pick-and-roll if they double, just making a good pass. That’s playing with force.”
Durant then clarified how he defines force.
“Playing with force isn’t beating your chest and screaming and the fake hustle part of the game,” Durant said. “It’s just doing your job at 100 percent effort and focus.”
Durant has been struggling a bit from beyond the 3-point line in the playoffs, shooting a postseason career-low 27.1 percent. In Game 3, he made only one of his six attempts from that distance.
He said his shot feels good, he just has to try to stay confident.
“It’s a mental thing, not being discouraged,” Durant said. “Just keep shooting. Also knowing that I can’t shoot off-balance 3s or quick shots. But I thought I had some shots that were in rhythm that I missed. It’s all about just playing hard. All of the other stuff will fall in line after that.”
As for whether he can effectively guard Jrue Holiday, Durant doesn’t doubt himself for a moment. When asked if that’s a challenge, he said, “No.”
“He’s not really running off of screens a lot,” Durant said. “He wants to play one-on-one, come off of pick-and-rolls and stuff. I can do that. I’ll be all right.”
Overall, Durant has played excellent basketball in the postseason, leading the Warriors while Curry was injured. He’s averaging 27.3 points (47.5 percent shooting), 8.1 rebounds and 4.8 assists a game.
• The Milwaukee Bucks plan on interviewing San Antonio Spurs assistant Becky Hammon for their vacant head coaching position, which would make her the first woman to be considered for a head coaching job in the NBA. Kerr said it’s only a matter of time before a woman will be in that position.
“It’s something that I think will happen at some point,” Kerr said Saturday. “And I’m glad that Becky is getting the opportunity to interview. I think that’s great.”