Teams’ gun safety message
Head coach Steve Kerr and some Golden State Warriors players joined their Boston counterparts in wearing orange T-shirts Sunday before Game 2 of the NBA Finals at Chase Center, with the message to “end gun violence” stripped across the chest.
Kerr wore the shirt to his news conference ahead of the game. The back of the shirt listed website addresses for several organizations working to reduce gun violence in the United States.
Kerr has been an outspoken advocate for gun safety legislation, including working with organizations such as Brady and Live Free. Celtics players wore the shirts during Saturday's practice at Chase Center, to mark national Gun Violence Awareness Day (which was Friday), then again in pregame warmups Sunday.
“I think we feel very strongly as a league that it's time for people to take notice and take part in what should be a nationwide effort to limit the gun violence out there,” Kerr said. “And there are ways to limit it. There are proven laws waiting to be passed, whether it's background checks or what have you.
“There are things we can do that would not violate people's Second Amendment rights, but would save lives. The idea behind wearing the shirts for both teams is to make people aware they can contribute to different gun safety, gun violence prevention groups.”
Kerr also implored people to vote, saying that's the “only way to convince the people we need to convince to start implementing gun safety regulation prevention laws.”
— Ron Kroichick
Iguodala out: Warriors forward Andre Iguodala missed Game 2 because of right knee inflammation.
Kerr said that Iguodala's knee swelled up Saturday and he's considered day-to-day.
Iguodala had missed 12 consecutive playoff games because of a neck injury, but played in Game 1 of the Finals on Thursday, his first appearance in Golden State's rotation since Game 4 of the Warriors' first-round playoff series against Denver. He scored seven points in 12 minutes, and the Warriors were minus-6 in plus/minus with him on the court.
Iguodala appeared in 31 of 82 regular-season games after signing a one-year, $2.6 million contract last summer. He recently said he's “trying to finish the season walking” when asked how optimistic he feels about playing in the Finals. He added that he's doing everything he can around the clock and calls it “an interesting year with my body.”
Gary Payton II (left elbow fracture) and Otto Porter Jr. (left foot soreness) were listed as questionable on Sunday's injury report, as was Boston's Robert Williams III (left knee soreness) but all three appeared in the game.