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NBA FINALS: CAVALIERS v WARRIORSJune 7, 2015Steve KerrOAKLAND, CALIFORNIA: Game Two Q. It seems like you were channelling Tex Winter a little bit there in Game 1. You made those guys pay for their perimeter pressure with five or six buckets off of backcuts. I wanted to get you to talk a little bit about that process. I know it's not automatics. But also it stands to reason those backcuts will be a little tougher to get tonight. COACH KERR: Well, anytime I can channel Tex Winter, I'm going to do that. I learned so much basketball from him, and those were great years in Chicago. We don't run the triangle, but we do have some concepts of the triangle within what we do. But I think it's just basic basketball. If people overplay you, you backcut. If not, you run your stuff and hopefully you can move the ball well and cut and move and just get some open looks. But every possession is a little different, and we just have to read it and go with it. Q. I understand you have other things on your mind, but I wanted to your opinion and your take on this. The Cavaliers say it was Klay Thompson's knee that bumped in with Kyrie resulting in a fracture. Is that your understanding as well? Have you spoken with Klay? Was there any knee‑to‑knee contact? It's kind of hard looking at the replay. COACH KERR: I have no idea. That is the first time I've ever heard that. I didn't notice anything. Klay never said anything. If it did happen, obviously it was in the flow of the game. Q. They shot 1 for 11, I think, on second chances the other night. Did you guys feel fortunate in that regard? Did you feel like you did well enough on the glass? COACH KERR: Well, ultimately we won the rebound total. It was kind of a strange game because they won the first and third quarters; we won the second and the fourth. We got obliterated in the first, and we did get lucky. They had some open looks on second‑chance opportunities and just missed them. But I thought after that first quarter we adapted pretty well and started being more physical on the glass, and it showed in the end on the stat sheet. But that's got to be something we're locked in on for every possession, because this is a great offensive rebounding team we're playing. Q. You were pretty clear yesterday saying there can't be and wouldn't be any letdown with whatever has happened to their roster. Looking back, do you think your team has experienced any letdowns in these playoffs? Has there been emotional‑‑ maybe letdown is the wrong word. Were there maybe times they weren't as prepared as you hoped they would have been? COACH KERR: I would say the only game I felt like we let down was Game 4 in Houston. We were coming off that great effort in Game 3, and Houston blitzed us right from the beginning. I think we were down like 25 points when I had to do my first quarter interview. That was a lot of fun (laughing). But we were not quite ready, and Houston, they obviously were. But for the most part, I mean, through the playoffs, I think we've been ready and intense. Our defense has been pretty sound the whole way through. Q. Luc Longley recently wrote that he knows you really well and "he's a cold‑hearted bastard." I was curious, first, what does that mean? Second of all, does that have anything to do with maybe your success overall in The Finals? COACH KERR: That's what Luc wrote? That's fantastic (laughing). I will be sending him an email tonight or maybe a phone call. Knowing Luc as well as I do, it's tongue in cheek. He tried to elicit a response, and apparently he got one from you guys and from me. Luc's one of my all‑time favorite teammates. I think what he's trying to say maybe, I haven't read that and I don't know the context, but he's probably just saying that I don't like to lose. That's what I'm guessing that Luc would say. Q. How does Kyrie Irving's absence impact your defensive strategy in terms of LeBron James? Are you going to change things up at all? COACH KERR: We have to do what we do. There are injuries all the time. This is a team that has dealt with this throughout the playoffs. I'm talking about Cleveland dealing with Kevin Love's absence, dealing with Kyrie's absence the last series, and they're still a great team. Dellavedova has come in and done a hell of a job. They're still the same issues that we're having to deal with, so we've got to be on top of our game regardless of who is out there, and that's all we're focused on. Q. Yesterday horse racing had its first Triple Crown winner in 37 years. Do you believe in omens; that this is the time for teams to end title droughts that go back to the '70s? COACH KERR: Well, first of all congrats to my fellow wildcat Bob Baffert. Bear down. That was pretty cool. First time in 37 years. I remember. I think I must have been, I guess, 12 when Affirmed did it. I remember reading "Sports Illustrated" that week. Cool picture of Affirmed on the cover. I'm not a huge horse racing fan, but I do really appreciate tremendous athletic feats, and that was definitely one of them. I also took some inspiration this morning watching Wawrinka beat Djokovic in the French Open final. Just brilliant tennis. I'm a huge tennis fan. I loved the competition. Love the respect after the game, after the match, I should say, that the two had for one another. I like watching other sporting events and I do draw inspiration from them. Q. Jerry West has said that he's gotten too much credit for what's happened here with the Warriors. What is his role with you? How much communication do you have with Jerry during the season, and what do you think his contribution has been? COACH KERR: Well, he's helped put together a great roster. He's always there with some advice if I need it. He doesn't call me a whole lot. I usually check in with him every couple of weeks just to pick his brain. But it's a pretty good luxury to be able to give him a call, one of the all‑time greats, not only on the court but as a GM. So I think he's just an important piece of the whole team that we have here in the front office, and he's been a great confidante for me throughout this season. Q. I'm sorry if you've been asked this before, but how does it feel for you to play against Coach Blatt who could have been your assistant this season? COACH KERR: Yeah, it's very ironic. We talked about it briefly the other night before Game 1. A year ago we were planning on being here together on the same staff, and neither one of us ever could have imagined it would unfold the way it has. But I'm happy for him. I know he's happy for me. We're just competing and not much time to visit. We're just focused on what we're trying to accomplish with our respective teams and maybe we'll have a chance to talk more after the series. Q. Why were you looking to hire him? Were you thinking about some multiple action, Euro‑style offense? COACH KERR: I was just impressed with his teams, watching them over the years, impressed with his background, what I had read about him. Then when I had a chance to visit with him and talk about the job, he seemed like a great fit. Somebody with that kind of experience, that's what I was looking for, given that this was my first year coaching. As I said, it worked out great for him. I'm sure he would have done a fantastic job here, but it all worked out for everybody. I ended up with a terrific staff, and he ended up coaching LeBron in The Finals. Not a bad deal. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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