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NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: TRAIL BLAZERS VS. WARRIORS

May 18, 2019

Steve Kerr

Portland, Oregon - Pregame 3

Q. Leading up to a game, are there any signals, whether it's in team meetings or preparation that give you a good indicator of what kind of focus the team has?
STEVE KERR: The regular season, I would say yes, but in the playoffs, I think everybody's locked in every game. So it's a different vibe. Players know what's at stake. Not as many clues that you can pick up in the playoffs. They are ready to go. They are ready to play tonight.

Q. Do you have any comment on the school thing yesterday, where the kid showed up at school with a gun nearby here in Portland?
STEVE KERR: Yeah, I read the story. It was a heroic act, and we should all be thankful for the young man who came to the rescue. It's just crazy that this is becoming sort of a routine for our kids, school shootings, or near school shootings, seemingly every week.

It's very, very sad but I'm encouraged by the various groups and really getting momentum around the country, whether it's March for our Lives, so many of these organizations are making huge impacts and raising more and more money. They are doing the work at the grass roots level that's necessary to reflect the will of the people around the country, and that's important.

And what that means is winning elections. Winning elections at every level and forcing the people in charge to actually take action. That's what these groups are doing, and standing up to the NRA, and looking after people in this country who are asking for change.

Those are my thoughts.

Q. No one has ever comeback from being down 3-0 in a playoff series, so this game is going to be very important for the Trail Blazers, and first Conference Finals game at home in [19] years. What are the key points you're looking out for as the ball tips --
STEVE KERR: I'm sorry, I didn't hear --

Q. Terry Stotts' team. You know they are going to be aggressive and they need to get this win. A few key points you'll be watching?
STEVE KERR: I don't think there will be -- obviously anything is on the table, but you know, the first two games, they played pretty well at times, especially Game 2, but even in Game 1, it was a six-point game after the third quarter. The score may have been misleading.

We talk about that as a staff; what will they do, what will they adjust to, how will they adjust, will they play different combinations, different matchups. I'm sure they have the same conversations about our strategy.

It's all part of the playoffs. You try to prepare for everything and adapt as it comes.

Q. In your playing career, you were key reserve on five championship teams. I'm curious to know, when you see your bench playing well -- do you -- from being a reserve player in your career, is it special when you see your bench playing well? Does it pump you up?
STEVE KERR: Yes, because I can relate to those guys much better than I can relate to the starters and the Hall of Famers. I think the bench players play a unique and important role on every team, but on winning teams, you know, one of the things I learned from Phil Jackson when I was in Chicago was how important it was to engage the guys on the end of the bench to keep them involved, which means throw them out there.

You know, don't be afraid to put everybody in the game at some point. There's going to come a time where every single player on the roster is going to have to contribute to help your team win. We are blessed with a lot of talent, so we're able to mix-and-match and play some of our bench guys and put them in for other starters and protect a little bit. I think there's a real power in that dynamic. It keeps everybody more engaged, more connected and more committed to the goal.

I think what happens happened the last few games with our bench players playing a key role has been galvanizing, and I think our team feels really good right now.

Q. Playing with joy has been an emphasis for you and the organization; do you think this team is playing with joy right now and if so, what can you do to continue that?
STEVE KERR: I think Steph Curry always plays with joy, and he sets the tone for us. I think it's a dynamic that we believe in. You know, we try to remind our guys how lucky we all are to be playing this game for a living, and to take advantage of the opportunity. Not everybody has the ability to play in the NBA, but to be making a living in basketball and to be playing together in this era and this special run that we've had; we try to make it fun at practice.

Our players naturally are great guys. They love the game. They love playing together. One of the maybe unknown dynamics of our team, unless you follow our team daily, all of our All-Star players are workers. They practice every day. Kevin, Steph, Klay, Draymond, Andre, these guys, they practice every day. You'd be surprised how many players around the league don't practice, strong players. Our guys love practicing. They get their work in every day. They take pride in it and it sets a tone for the entire group.

So I think there's momentum that builds from there. But there's no question that our guys have joy. The run that we've been on has been pretty amazing over the years, but they are the ones that set that tone.

Q. Do you plan to play with [Kevon] Looney starting tonight?
STEVE KERR: I have no comment.

Q. You have in the past compared Draymond to Dennis Rodman, and as you see him work on defense, going in the paint, stepping out, is that comparison still apt, and if so, why, and if not, why not?
STEVE KERR: I think it's very apt, that comparison, because what made Dennis special was his versatility.

I remember the '96 East Finals, he guarded Shaq [Shaquille O'Neal], and then he'd switch out and guard [Penny] Hardaway. There aren't many guys in the history of the game that can do both and that's what Draymond does, switch out ask guard Damian Lillard, go down and guard [Jusuf] Nurkic, any position against pretty much any team. So the versatility is remarkable. Draymond is a better offensive player than Dennis. Dennis was better than people knew. He's a pretty good passer. Had a good feel for the game. But Draymond has just become a tremendous play-maker, our leading assist guy, a guy who pushes the pace and handles the ball quite a bit for us. I think he's actually a better two-way player but very similar to Dennis at the defensive end. Not as good of a rebounder, though. I've got to give that to Dennis. I've never met anybody who was a better rebounder than Dennis.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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