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NBA FINALS: CAVALIERS v WARRIORS

June 19, 2016

Steve Kerr

Oakland, California: Game Seven

COACH KERR: Happy Father's Day to everybody.

Q. What's the latest on Andre today?
COACH KERR: I haven't even checked in with the trainer yet. I just have had a couple of texts from Chelsea [Warriors head performance therapist Chelsea Lane] the last couple of days, and everything's been going well.

So I anticipate him playing and hopefully holding up and we'll see how it goes once he's out there.

Q. I know you have a lot more on your mind for a Game 7, but how do you think Luke Walton has handled all this, having accepted the Lakers' job but keeping his focus with you guys during this run?
COACH KERR: If you know Luke, you know he handles pretty much everything exactly the same way. He's extremely laid back and excited about what we're doing right now and excited about what's ahead for him.

Q. What has this day been like for you? Did you wake up and feel any different about going into a Game 7, coaching a Game 7 with this group?
COACH KERR: Yeah, I mean, it's a special day, but you try to keep the same routine. So Luke and I went to yoga like we always do every game day. You probably didn't know that, did you?

Q. I didn't.
COACH KERR: I'm guessing Bill Belichick and his staff don't do that. Just throwing that out there.

Q. What kind of yoga do you guys do?
COACH KERR: Just hot yoga.

Q. 90 minutes?
COACH KERR: No, no, we're not -- 60. 60. Let's not get carried away. Got to get in the right mindset, so it's the usual game-day routine.

Q. After the game you did say that you were definitely starting Harrison in this game. Is that still the case? Is Harrison Barnes in your starting lineup today?
COACH KERR: Gosh, we have to go over this every time?

Q. Well, you did say so. You did say so. You made a point of that.
COACH KERR: So, yes, Harrison is starting.

Q. Do you have to discuss with him -- obviously a lot of focus on him not making shots. Have you had general conversations, specific conversations with him to make sure he takes a shot? Do you say don't take the shot? What is the conversation with him?
COACH KERR: No, the conversation is just coaching. That's kind of my job, to coach our guys individually, coach them as a team. So there are conversations.

The biggest thing is to realize in the Playoffs and especially The Finals the spotlight is big and there are moments for everybody where things don't go great and you have to fight through that. And just be solid. Go out there and play your game, be aggressive. And whatever happens, happens.

But it's very easy in The Finals, especially, to get caught up in all of that, when the reality is what's important is to just move on to the next game and lock in and do your best.

Q. Seven games in, how much do you think your players have learned about their opponents in this series? How much do you think your opponents maybe have learned about you and how different does the game plan look for Game 7 if we were to look back at Game 1?
COACH KERR: Yeah, at this point in the series everybody knows everything about each other. We've been watching, I'm sure, like them, games from earlier in the series all the way through. The matchups have really changed quite a bit for both teams, but especially for them, I would say. They've really changed who they're guarding, how they're matching up, the guys they're playing off the bench.

So you adapt to each game as it comes and you try to foresee what's coming in the next game. But it's all part of a seven-game series, for sure.

Q. Having played in a Game 7 against Oklahoma City at home, can that help psychologically?
COACH KERR: Absolutely. I mean, we were in way worse shape a couple weeks ago than we are now. I'm not focusing on being up 3-1 and, oh, man, we lost the last two. I'm focusing on we have a Game 7 at home. That's what you want at the beginning of the season.

Given that we just had a Game 7 at home against a great team after being down 3-1, we're very confident that we'll come out and play a good game.

Q. We had a report that said that the quality of shots the last two games for you guys were a lot better than the success rate. So I'm wondering, obviously you don't like the results the last two games, but how do you feel about the process on offense?
COACH KERR: Well, I think those things can be a little deceiving. And what I mean by that is you can get open shots that aren't rhythm shots. Normally we have a lot of rhythm to our offense, the ball is moving, it's changing sides of the floor.

I think the last couple games we haven't had as much rhythm. I don't think the ball has moved as much. We haven't had as many total passes, which we keep track of.

So when we have had open shots, I think part of the reason we've missed them is we haven't developed that rhythm well enough. For whatever reason, karma, the basketball gods, whatever you want to call it, you run a great offensive set and the ball swings side-to-side and everybody touches it and, boom, it hits somebody's hands in rhythm, the ball tends to go in a lot more often than not.

Q. Coach, did you have a one-on-one talk with Steph Curry at all about staying out of foul trouble? Is there anything you can do specifically to help him stay out of foul trouble?
COACH KERR: We've talked about it throughout the Playoffs, and he knows what he has to do. He understands what the game is about and when to gamble, when not to, that kind of thing.

It's nothing specific. It's just picking your spots and being solid rather than reaching when you're in a vulnerable position.

Q. Steve, are you pleased by and large with the effort level you've seen the last two games? Draymond mentioned that he thought you need to play harder. What are you seeing?
COACH KERR: We need to be tougher. We need to play tougher. We've given up some easy hoops here and there that we need to do better with. So I don't know if it's a matter of playing harder. I mean, it's The Finals and everybody's playing hard. It's about being a little smarter, which leads to being tougher.

You know, if you're in the right spot, if you're disciplined and you're following the set rules and you're trusting your teammate and you're all on the same page, that's smarter, that's tougher, and that's better.

Q. Previously in these Playoffs you mentioned guys needing to be in basketball position. Are you seeing that?
COACH KERR: Are you talking about defensively?

Q. Yes, defensively, mostly defensively, yes.
COACH KERR: Yeah, when I say that I'm talking about being in a stance, having your knees bent and being alert and having vision of man and ball, all that stuff. I think we had some breakdowns earlier in the series. I don't think that was necessarily the case last game. We might have had one or two.

But, again, it's a matter of playing every possession. 48 minutes of doing everything you can, being in position, being ready, being alert, and then trying to relax and be loose at the same time. It's a fine line. It sounds crazy, but that's when we're at our best as a team, and that's what we're looking for today.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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