	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: THUNDER v WARRIORS

May 26, 2016

Steve Kerr

Oakland, California: Game Five

Q. Steve, I saw the note you sent, I guess, to season ticket holders. What was the key behind that? Was it in general, or was it specific to this moment, this time, this opponent, maybe?
STEVE KERR: It's a big game. We need our crowd behind us. We know they'll be here, and the six o'clock start makes things difficult for a lot of people to get here on time. So the first couple games we had a pretty late-arriving crowd. So it's kind of a reminder to be here early, if possible.

Q. I know you repeated nothing's wrong with Stephen [Curry], and yet he does not look like the same guy as before the injury. I wonder if he's hiding something that he doesn't want to tell anybody that, hey, I'm going to go out and play, or just what do we speculate?
STEVE KERR: What do you speculate? I don't know (laughing). Whatever you want to speculate. You know, when you're an athlete playing at a high level, you compete, and you don't sit here and say, well, my toe hurts, my knee hurts, my foot hurts. Everybody has nicks and bruises and stuff this time of year.

No, it hasn't been the ideal postseason for Steph, obviously, with the injuries and the stops and starts to his playoff run, but it doesn't matter. You know, everyone deals with stuff. Ask Oklahoma City, the injuries they've dealt with over the years in their playoff runs. It doesn't matter. You play, you do your best. You give whatever you can and you see what happens.

Q. I also read that letter on Facebook. It sounded to me like it was more than just getting them to come early. I mean, you were encouraging them, there was something about fueling the team. Can you talk to me a little bit about what it means to be back home and what you hope this will help you guys do?
STEVE KERR: Well, our crowd has always been great, so tonight obviously we want them to be as loud as possible. And I've been a part of so many of these playoff series as a player and now as a coach, and things can change quickly, momentum can change. A good game in front of your home crowd could infuse a team and change the course of things. So that's what we're hoping.

Q. During your playing career, I should have researched this, but I didn't, did you ever face an elimination game like this, and if so, how did it work out and what do you bring from that to this?
STEVE KERR: I've faced lots of them. You know, I think I played in maybe three Game 7s. I think in 15 years I played in the playoffs maybe 13 of 15. I was lucky I was on a lot of great teams. With five titles, that means eight other times we lost and went home. So I don't really draw on any of that. This is a totally different series, different circumstance.

So what we're most concerned with is being us again and playing the way we can play. I'm confident that we'll do that. But I'm not drawing on any memories from my playing days.

Q. You talk about Steph's issues. Talk about Draymond's issues over the last two games. How much are those two things connected where one is playing off the other or they're not getting what they need from the other?
STEVE KERR: It's hard to say if they're connected or not. Obviously those two have a great synergy when they play together, the pick-and-roll combination, all that. But I'm sure they've had plenty of games this year where one played well and the other didn't.

I think I tend to give the opponent credit. You know, they've played excellent defense on our guys, particularly the last two games in OKC, their defense was great. So it's up to us to respond. That's what this is about. Steph and Draymond are All-Stars, First and Second Team All NBA, all that stuff. With that comes a great responsibility.

They both not only accept that, but they embrace it. So the only thing you can do is come back and try to play well. I think they will today.

Q. In every playoff series there's always talk about adjustments from game to game. You see coaches make them, players make them. Talked to Steph about that this morning, he said if you're Oklahoma City, you don't need to make any adjustments. You just keep doing what you're doing. What's your take on them and as far as what you can do in terms of adjustments going forward tonight and beyond if you get that far?
STEVE KERR: I'm not going to talk about adjustments, obviously. But they've obviously played very well. They made some subtle adjustments after Game 2 that they've been successful with. We've made a few adjustments during the first four games from one game to the next. But they have the upper hand, obviously, especially the last two games they really took it to us.

So, yeah, we've got to do some different things and we will, and I'm not going to tell you what they are.

Q. I'm wondering at your shootaround this morning was the mood or the tenor different than it has been even for recent playoff games?
STEVE KERR: Well, it's a little different just because we haven't faced elimination in the last couple years. So definitely different. We didn't expect to be in this position, but here we are. So we take the opportunity at hand and a home game, in front of our crowd. We play well here. A chance to turn the tide again, so that's our goal.

Q. How do you describe the pace of the series so far?
STEVE KERR: What is the pace of the series?

Q. The pace.
STEVE KERR: Both teams like to play fast, and obviously on their home floor they won that battle. They got going downhill against us, came forward. We had way too many turnovers. Game 3, it wasn't turnovers, it was more bad shots and not executing offensively and not making shots. We've actually had some good shots the last couple games, but we haven't been in our flow. Again, I give them the credit. They played good defense, and they got the game going in their direction.

Q. I know you're not going to tell us --
STEVE KERR: You're going to continue at it, aren't you?

Q. Yeah. Have you considered lineup changes? Considered?
STEVE KERR: So this is like a halfway question (laughing)?

Q. It's a yes or no question.
STEVE KERR: Maybe (laughing). Do you have any other prying questions that I'm not going to answer?

Q. Your team hasn't faced this kind of adversity. This team isn't used to losing like this. Do you feel like when you've been successful during the season and since last year, it's more difficult to resist mentally?
STEVE KERR: Well, if that's the case, it's a good problem to have. We've been winning at a very high rate the last two years. Won the Championship last year. We're in the Conference Finals. We're, you know, we're not used to being down 3-1. And that's awesome. I hope we don't get used to it. All we have to do is look at it, take it play by play, quarter by quarter. You just play. Whatever happens, happens.

The great thing about sports, honestly, is that you get these challenges that really test you, but it's still basketball. It's still a game. It's fun to play. And we need to go have fun and play well and we'll see what happens.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297