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NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS: PELICANS vs WARRIORS

April 28, 2018

Steve Kerr

Oakland, California: Game One

GAME 1

Warriors 123, Pelicans 101

COACH STEVE KERR: The stats sheet may not know it unless you look at that plus, minus, that's a good number, plus 34. Loon's had a great year. He's a smart player and he did a good job on Davis. He was a key for us tonight but I thought the defense in general was great and that was the most important aspect of the game. The defense allowed us to get going in the second quarter and get out in transition and break things open.

Q. What went into the starting lineup combination today and how do you see that unfold throughout the game?
COACH STEVE KERR: Well, it's a small game with New Orleans. They spread you out and so we knew we were going to have to play without Steph, and Patty. We were going to have to find some minutes from Nick and from Quinn and we liked the idea of starting Nick and putting him out there and he's a good matchup defensively with what we're facing and spreads the floor. I thought he did a really nice job.

Q. Do you allow yourself to enjoy watching a second quarter like that and also, how much did Draymond's hustle plays and just his effort on both ends sort of get that going?
COACH STEVE KERR: Yeah, of course, how could I not enjoy that? That was an amazing run, 12 minutes, combination of offense and defense, I think we had one turnover in the whole quarter and ten assists and the ball was moving and it all started with our defense, and Draymond is always in the center of our defensive effort. I thought he and KD, both, really keyed that sequence, or the whole quarter with their defense and rebounding and getting out and running.

Q. Did you see the bench's reaction after Klay hit back-to-back 3-pointers and everybody just went wild? What does that say both about the energy that Klay sparks from the team and both about how involved everybody was tonight from top to bottom?
COACH STEVE KERR: Yeah, that was probably the loudest I've heard the Oracle all year. It was kind of a weird regular season but the playoffs are here and our guys feel that, our fans feel that and that second quarter reflected what's at stake and what we're trying to accomplish. So the crowd was into it. Our bench was great. That's what makes it fun when you see that.

Q. Coming off the Spurs series where they kind of made you work a lot, offense was a struggle sometimes. Did you see with the increased pace, kind of freedom with your team, especially in that first half?
COACH STEVE KERR: Yeah, it's a different series. Obviously it's a more open game, it's a faster game. It makes for a brand new challenge, and so we were prepared for what we had to do and our guys were really locked in, and that was the most important thing.

I think our guys like playing this style. They want to play fast. Playing fast is great, as long as you defend, and that's the whole key is if you can combine the two. I thought that's one of the reasons we had a few lulls during the game offensively. We were tired from how hard we were defending. I think they were, too. I think it was such a furious pace to the games that there were some spells during the game where things slowed down a little bit, but all in all, great effort and our guys enjoyed themselves out there.

Q. A lot of different kinds of matchups, specifically you had Durant guarding Holiday early on and you had Draymond on Rondo for a lot. What were you thinking on those particular match-ups?
COACH STEVE KERR: Well, Holiday has been really, really good, in that last series and late in the year so he was a priority for us for sure. I thought Kevin's size factored in and Kevin did a great job on him. Draymond is going to guard everybody. He started on Davis, but when loon came in to guard Davis, Draymond slid over to Rondo. You know how Draymond is. He wants to be in the fray and he wants to be in the middle of the floor. Middle of the action, I should say. We're going to put him on people that are going to be in the middle of the action and probably not guys who are spotting up and shooting, so that he can make an impact.

Q. You're kind of famous for using the collective brain power of your staff. The Nick Young idea, was that yours?
COACH STEVE KERR: It was all mine. My staff, they don't really do anything. (Laughter) I just sort of, you know, once in a while, like ask them to give me like a coke or maybe a snack or something, and I make every decision (laughing).

We make every decision collectively.

The way the playoffs work, you get together as a staff, as soon as you find out your opponent and you just hammer out every idea. I don't even remember whose idea it was. It was, this is what it looked like, this is what we needed to do to try to get off to a good start and we knew it was a small game against these guys and so we decided to start small.

Q. Throughout the season, the defense was up-and-down and it seems like the defense has been the story of the playoffs for you guys. Was it a matter for now having something to play for or is there more to it with the intensity?
COACH STEVE KERR: No, that's it. Our defense stunk the last month of the year. It was pretty good most of the year and it's been good for years, but I think for the last part of the regular season, there wasn't much to play for and our guys, their effort reflected that.

But there's a lot to play for right now and our guys are bringing it, and the defense has been fantastic through our first six games.

Q. It seemed like early on, the Pelicans were really trying hard to switch Davis off of Draymond and he hurt you guys in the first quarter. Did you do anything differently strategically after that and how satisfied are you with the way your defense responded to him specifically?
COACH STEVE KERR: You mean the way we guarded him? No, we didn't do anything different. Davis is one of those guys, no matter what happens, he's going to end up with 25, 30 points. I guess what did he end up with tonight, 21 and he didn't play in the fourth quarter. So you know, he's going to get his 25 or 30, so you try to take away certain things, challenge every shot, and live with, you know, what he can do, as long as you're not giving him the easy stuff.

Q. Pelicans obviously provide different challenges than the Spurs did, but you've kind of mentioned the up-and-down pace. Did you feel like you could feel your guys maybe unshackled a bit by the style of play, because your offense exploded more than they did at all in the first round?
COACH STEVE KERR: Yeah, there's going to be a lot more possessions in this series per game than in the Spurs series, and our guys love playing this style. So I think once we settled in and we established our defense, I think our guys were excited. They like this pace but it's going to get a lot harder, we know that. This was Game 1 and we played well but we got to back it up now.

Q. After Miller hit a 3 in the early second quarter to tie the game, you called a time-out and they came out of the time-out, your guys were a different team, went on a 30-9 run or something like that. If not the content, what was the message during the time-out that you wanted to give the guys because they obviously turned it on after that?
COACH STEVE KERR: Really there wasn't anything too elaborate that was said. It was just stay with it, stay with the game plan and keep focusing on what we're trying to accomplish, and over 48 minutes, we're going to be fine.

That's generally the message all the time. You know, every series, every team we play against. Such a long game, the NBA is a long game and we have a lot of talent, and so if we can keep defending and taking care of the ball, that talent is going to take over at some point.

Q. The first quarter it looked like you guys traded baskets and in the second quarter. When did it get to that point going into the second quarter, where they had to understand that the defense has to kick in now?
COACH STEVE KERR: Well, we are playing a great offensive team. Fastest team in the league over the last couple months. They lit it up in their first round series so we are not going to be able to stop them the whole game. It's not a Shock they got off to a good start. It's just a matter of staying with it and continuing to play, and as long as we stuck to our principles and our game plan, we knew we were going to be in good shape.

Thanks a lot.

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