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NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: THUNDER v WARRIORS

May 29, 2016

Steve Kerr

Oakland, California: Practice Day

Q. There were a ton of indelible moments from that game last night. What sticks out to you today?
STEVE KERR: Well, obviously [Klay Thompson's] performance, just amazing. One of the great individual performances, I think, we've ever seen. But I think what stands out the most is just our team's grit and hanging in there after getting blown out twice in Oklahoma City. To show that kind of heart and grit was great, and we just hung around long enough to take the game at the end.

Q. What did you think of [Andre Iguodala's] play, especially the way he finished that game?
STEVE KERR: Yeah, Andre was great. He's always kind of our unsung hero. He never has the numbers that jump out at you in the box score, so people don't write about him or show him much on the highlights. But he's a phenomenal defensive player and he's an incredibly intelligent player. He settles us down on offense and takes the toughest assignment on defense.

Q. Describe the flight home?
STEVE KERR: The flight home was great. It was a long flight, but it didn't seem nearly as long as the one after Game 4 going home. So there was a lot of relief, and just nice to come back home and still be in the series and have a chance.

Q. This past week what have you learned from yourself and from your players?
STEVE KERR: I haven't learned anything from myself, but I've learned that our players are tough. They're mentally tough. I don't know if I really learned that. I already knew that. But they've firmly confirmed that. It's been a great comeback. Now we still have to play. We still have another game.

Q. You weren't with this group when they played that Game 7 against the Clippers. Has there been any discussion about that or lessons learned from that?
STEVE KERR: No, if there has been, it would have been between the players. None of the staff was here. Actually, Chris DeMarco was here, but everybody else was new after that. So we haven't discussed that.

Q. You've played with and against guys who could really take somebody's heart by the way they scored a lot and go after people mentally, they could destroy you. And Andre always has to guard that guy. How difficult a job do you think that is? And how difficult a job is it for him?
STEVE KERR: Well, the job is difficult, but he's made for it. He really is. He reminds me so much of Scottie Pippen. His body type, his intelligence, his ability to read what's happening at both ends. But particularly on defense, the instinct is there. Andre knows that's going to be his job, and he's always up to the task. I don't think it could be that fun. Honestly, it can't be that fun to have to chase these guys around and try to stop them. But he does as good a job as anybody, I think.

Q. Does that allow you to let him freelance a little bit more than you might let somebody else freelance defensively?
STEVE KERR: Andre is our smartest defender. It's rare to see him be in the wrong place. So if you put him in kind of a rover role, center-field role, he can see everything.

But when you're playing [Kevin] Durant, there's not a whole lot of freelancing because you've got to stay attached to him. He does a great job, and he knows that just like all great defenders, Bruce Bowen was like this, you just try to make it as difficult as possible. Guys like KD are going to get their points. You just try to force them to hit tough shots and don't get discouraged when they make them.

Q. You've been in a couple Game 7s yourself. What memories stick out for you?
STEVE KERR: It's great to be at home for Game 7. Everybody sort of approaches it differently I think according to your own personality. You can be nervous, you can be overhyped, you can be excited. But the biggest thing is you just remind yourself it's a game. You've got to approach it the same way you approach other games. Keep it simple, do your job and try to enjoy it and have some fun. Even though the game carries a lot of weight, and we're all desperate to win on both sides, you have to keep some perspective too. It's not the end of the world one way or the other. It's a basketball game. Go out and enjoy it, embrace it and whatever happens, happens.

Q. You've mentioned fun a lot. Amid all the pressure and your jobs are at stake in a way, how do you create an area to have fun in this game?
STEVE KERR: I think just having players who already have a pretty good life perspective and have a good balance in their lives, families. They understand. It's easy to lose perspective at times with the pressure and the attention from the media, from the fans, everything else.

But when you have guys who kind of get it, you're able to sort of pare all those other things off. You peel off the sides and you go, oh, yeah, this is a basketball game. This is what we get to do for a living. They pay us a lot of money to do it. We're blessed. We're lucky.

So this is stuff we should embrace. When you look back on it years later, I think about my three Game 7s and I remember being nervous and excited. I wish I could go back and play another one.

Q. What's it like to coach two players who don't appear to lose their confidence after they miss several shots?
STEVE KERR: Yeah, Steph [Curry] and Klay are as good as anybody I've ever seen in terms of just moving forward and taking the next shot, making the next play. Not worrying about a miss or even several misses. That's the right mentality.

It's a difficult mentality to achieve for a lot of people, but not for them. They have so much belief. I think they take so much joy out of the game and making shots and playing freely and loosely. It seems to come very naturally for both of them to just get out there and let it fly.

Q. What are the potential pitfalls you have to safeguard against in Game 7?
STEVE KERR: Just don't overthink. Keep it simple. We have a pretty simple game plan. There are a few keys that we know we have to cover, and don't think about anything else other than what we have to do in the game. These guys have been playing basketball their whole lives, so everything comes pretty instinctively to them anyway. But in a Game 7, there are nerves, there are jitters, all that stuff. But once the game starts, just lock in and enjoy it.

Q. Some of the guys mentioned last night that just because they won Game 6 and they're going home now, doesn't mean the series it over. It's a reminder that just because you're at home you can't presume victory. Is that a potential concern at all?
STEVE KERR: No, no. Our players already talked about it after the game. It doesn't guarantee anything. The only thing we guaranteed was one more game on our home floor. So let's take advantage of that by being extra prepared and ready.

There is no chance of anybody letting their guard down. We're playing a great team. We know that. We've got our hands full with them. They've got their hands full with us. It's a great series, great basketball, and as I said, we should enjoy the challenge and the opportunity to be a part of it. There are, I guess, 27 teams that are sitting at home wishing they could be in our shoes.

Q. As a former player, is it frustrating to not be out there on the court or are you glad?
STEVE KERR: I can barely walk anymore, so...

Q. Knowing the kind of player that you were, is it frustrating to coach this game?
STEVE KERR: No, no, I have great memories of playing, and I do miss those days. But I've had more than my fair share of opportunities to play. We all get older and move on, and now I'm doing something that I love and it's fun to be a part of this team and take on this challenge.

Q. How different is the joy?
STEVE KERR: It's different as a coach. You're thinking more about your players than yourself. As a player, you think about yourself: How do I prepare myself to play in this game? How do I get myself in the right frame of mind? As a coach, you're thinking about all your guys and trying to help each and every one of them.

Q. You started Andre in the second half last night. Was that something you could see from the opening tip?
STEVE KERR: I don't know. We've never done it. We've never changed at halftime. Last year obviously we started Andre in The Finals for a few games. But we just felt like it made sense given the circumstances.

I don't anticipate doing it to start the game tomorrow, but we're going to meet as a staff here in a few minutes and we'll talk about all of those things.

Q. Did you mostly give the guys a day off for their legs?
STEVE KERR: Yeah, they have the day off. We're not going to watch film. It's a day to just re-energize and get treatment, get sleep, relax. For Andre and Steph, they can watch some golf on their couch. Everybody else can get outside and get some sunshine, hopefully, and get ready for tomorrow.

Q. How important as a coach for Game 7 mentally?
STEVE KERR: How important is what mentally? For me, for the players?

Q. What you bring to the players.
STEVE KERR: That's kind of our job as a staff, to help our guys any which way, whether it's game planning or frame of mind. So we try to help each and every one of them. Everyone's different. Everyone approaches the game differently. I think we'll be ready.

Q. Why do you think your smaller lines are more effective last night than it's been during the series?
STEVE KERR: We didn't go to it until late. I mean, we did it a little bit in the first half. But I just think we battled harder on the glass. We were able to chase down more rebounds. I think Steph looked better last night. He looked bouncier. He looked livelier.

Obviously, Steph is a huge part of our small lineup. We have to hit shots with that lineup for it to really work, especially against these guys, because their small lineup is lethal as well, but big, if that makes sense. It's a big small lineup. So it's a tough team we're playing against. They present so many challenges. Every night has been a little different. They're very well coached. They're throwing wrinkles at us all the time, and we're trying to respond to that. It's been a great series.

Q. Did you win because of the teamwork?
STEVE KERR: Yeah, it was a team effort. Everybody contributed. The guys on our bench were so energetic, and I thought that helped fuel our team. Just that joy and that passion that we have to play, and the bench guys picking everybody up. It was a good night.

Q. You mentioned momentum last week and just getting one win back to get that. Do you feel two games and two wins that you had to have coming back here that you have that a little bit?
STEVE KERR: Yeah. Down 3-1, you just have to approach it like win the next one and try to swing things your way. We've done that. We got a big one last night to stay alive, and now we've got some momentum. But it can work in reverse. One game changes everything, and we've got to come out and play our game and play well to finish the series out.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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