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NBA FINALS: CAVALIERS v WARRIORS

June 1, 2016

Steve Kerr

Oakland, California: Practice Day

An interview with:

STEVE KERR

Q. Coach, I know that technically this is a rematch from last year, but I'm wondering what differences you see from both teams going into this Finals?
COACH KERR: Well, I think we are mostly the same in terms of personnel. I think we have more confidence, having been through the whole run last year and then what we've gone through this year and the adversity we faced with injuries.

So I think we're stronger at our core, but we're very similar as a basketball team. I think they are dramatically different. Obviously they're healthy, but not only are they healthy, they've changed their style. They tried to grind us to a pulp last year playing big, and they were slowing the ball down, slowing the pace down. This year they've added Channing Frey, they're not playing Mozgov, they've got shooting all over the place, and they're playing at a much faster pace. So it's really a much different team than we're seeing.

Q. Bob was saying that you called him before making the decision on Andre and Harrison, just kind of to talk things through. Just curious, how difficult of a call was that to make for your staff? What are the advantages of starting Andre, and just between us, what are you going to do (smiling)?
COACH KERR: I like the first part of the question. I'll answer that. I won't tell you what I'm going to do. But the thinking is do we really want to change anything? We've gone two years with Harrison starting, and it's been a pretty good two years. So do you go away from something that you've been successful with?

On the flip side, it's the Playoffs. You can make adjustments like we did last year against Cleveland putting Andre in the line-up, and sometimes those adjustments are good. So that's kind of what you're weighing is the positives and the negatives going in when you're talking about an adjustment into the lineup. You weigh it, and you make your decision and you hope for the best.

Q. Can you talk about just Steph, how he seems to be motivated anytime there's been a sleight or a dig that he faces? Have you noticed that?
COACH KERR: Yes, yes. Steph is extremely competitive in a very humble way. He doesn't have to say anything. He does his talking through his play, basically. But he definitely is motivated by things that people say about him or things that he reads or anything like that.

The guy is as gifted and skilled as he is, I think one of his greatest attributes is his competitive fire. A lot of people don't know that because of his demeanor, but he's an incredible competitor.

Q. Also, do you think his background and the school he went to kind of brings him back to that, it's kind of where he gets that drive from?
COACH KERR: You mean the fact that he wasn't recruited by the big schools? Yeah, I'm sure that was part of it. He's kind of always been the underdog, and all of a sudden he's the two-time MVP. That's a strange situation. Hardly any players have ever done that. I guess Steve Nash would be the other one that would come to mind right away.

But Steph has just got his head on straight. A great family background. He's got great perspective on the world how fortunate he is, and he seems to bring the right blend of rationality and confidence.

Q. In the same way that Steph maybe gets the motivation out of some of the sleights that he's received, maybe some other players on your team also are fueled by that sort of thing? Can you talk about the ones who are most fueled by being told they're not going to be good enough, they haven't been good enough, and they're not going to win a series or a championship?
COACH KERR: If you want to talk about Draymond, just ask about Draymond (laughing). I mean, I assume that's who you're talking about. Yeah, every player's different. Every player needs to motivate himself however he needs. So Draymond finds any little sleight to get himself going, and that's great. He's our emotional leader. He's our slightly crazy, gives us the edge type guy that you need to compete at the highest level, and whatever he needs to do to motivate himself, he does.

Q. I would like to hear from you your thoughts about the contribution of the two Brazilians that you have on your team, Anderson Varejao and Leandro Barbosa?
COACH KERR: Anderson and Leandro are fantastic. Great teammates. They bring a lot of joy to our locker room, a lot of humor, a lot of energy. They both play support roles. They haven't played a ton of minutes in the Playoffs, but the minutes they do play are very important. I thought when they were out on the floor together in Game 7 against Oklahoma City they had an enormous impact on the game. Anderson played one minute and 51 seconds and he had two assists, a basket, and he took a charge, and his hair was flying every where, and he was howling these emotional shrieks and yells that was getting the crowd going and his teammates going, and I thought the game changed when he went out there.

L.B.'s been the same way for us last year and this year. Instant energy and they are both loved by their teammates.

Q. What is this like for you the second time around as a coach and everything that you went through this year to get back to this point? Do you reflect on anything that you learned last year in The Finals that you can take?
COACH KERR: Yeah, before last year the previous time that I'd been in The Finals was as a player in 2003. So 12 years past before I made it back, and the difference in the media set-up, the amount of media, the requirements, the media being allowed in practice, having to practice in the arena totally disrupting kind of the daily schedule that you're normally on throughout the regular season. It's all very different.

So last year I think it was a little bit of a shock to our guys' system to have to change our routine. This year we've been through it. We're used to it. I don't think it will bother us.

Q. First question, did you see any difference or improvement from Draymond Green since Game 3 to Game 7?
COACH KERR: Just improvement in his play or...

Q. I mean the mentality part, the instance from Game 3 to Game 7, he really stepped up. Did you see anything different from him?
COACH KERR: Yeah, I thought Draymond did a much better job of not complaining to the referees. After Game 3, he was sort of on probation, you know. So when he had bad calls, he may have discussed those calls with the referees, but he did it in a better way and he didn't get himself in any trouble. He knows he's got to be somewhat careful because of the technical foul rule and the flagrant stuff as well.

Q. And you were saying the two teams are definitely going to play faster than last year. So what do you expect from the big guys of your team?
COACH KERR: Well, yeah, we have to be ready to cover a lot of the floor and three-point shooting bigs in Frey and Love, so we can't lose sight of them. But we've got to try to protect the rim as well, and that's a big challenge. Just like teams that play us with our shooting and spacing, it's hard to cover all that court. But that's what this series seems to be about. Both teams are shooting a lot of threes and trying to run. It will be a very difficult defensive match-up for both teams.

Q. Coach, you talked a little bit about their floor spacing bigs. How does that affected way you defend LeBron? Is it harder to make him a jump shooter when he's got so many weapons around him? He's shooting less from the outside than he ever has. I wonder if the supporting cast has something to do with that do you think?
COACH KERR: For sure, yeah. I mean, last year we generally were playing against two bigs, Mozgov and Thompson, so we were able to help more around the paint and force more jumpshots, and it will be much more difficult now with Frey and Love. So our tactics will have to change a little bit.

Q. Kind of along those same lines, LeBron had such big numbers personally against you guys in The Finals last year under a far different set of circumstances with his team. Is he more dangerous or more difficult to guard when he's got this kind of help around him?
COACH KERR: Oh, yeah, for sure, for sure. Because he has more space, he has more room to roam. He's so skilled he can do anything. So he can kind of pick his spots when and where to do whatever he wants to do, whether it's shoot or drive or pass. So there's more room out there for him. They're very comfortable. They've been playing at a high level, and they've got a good group.

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