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NBA FINALS: WARRIORS VS. RAPTORSJune 9, 2019Steve KerrToronto, Ontario - Practice Day Q. Is Kevin any closer to being able to play tomorrow? STEVE KERR: He's going to practice with us today, and he'll get some extra work in with some of our younger players. We'll gauge it from there. Q. Are you more hopeful than you have been the last couple days? STEVE KERR: Yeah, because what he's going to do today he hasn't done. He's doing more today and then we'll know more after that. Q. We spoke with Kyle and he talked a little bit about how his life adversity keeps him present on the moment, just through gratitude. For you how do you particularly stay focused moment to moment? STEVE KERR: I agree with Kyle. We play basketball for a living or coach for a living. We're among the luckiest people on earth. I don't know if that was Kyle's angle, but that's how I approach things. It's all perspective. We are incredibly lucky to live the lives that we do and to be here competing for an NBA championship. When you talk about pressure and daunting tasks and all that, just look around the world. We're doing all right and we're lucky and we know how lucky we are. So, yeah, keep everything in perspective. Q. Can you give us a sense of just what your team's mindset has been in the last 24 hours, the vibe you get from them on the plane and getting here about being in this pretty dire situation? STEVE KERR: I think that the mood is good. We still got plenty to play for. Yesterday was a travel day. We didn't do anything, so it's not like we spent a lot of time together. Today we'll watch the film and go through practice and talk about the things we can clean up. But the mood is good. We have an amazing opportunity and challenge. We're going to do everything we can to meet that challenge. We're excited about it. Q. When you have a player of the magnitude of Kevin and the thing that's going on, do you prepare two different game plans, one with him and one without him? How does it work from a coach point of view? STEVE KERR: Yeah, the game plan changes if Kevin is out there or if he's not. So you adapt accordingly. It changes matchups, it changes rotations, all that stuff. That's true all regular season you deal with that, so you're constantly adapting and adjusting according to who is available. Q. How did Looney come through the other night? STEVE KERR: Very well. Yeah. Q. DeMarcus has struggled the last couple games. Is this something you're looking at, the five spot? STEVE KERR: We just look at everything game to game in terms of matchups, combinations. One of the things that's been a bit of a struggle with the injuries is just finding the right combinations in terms of the numbers that we have and how many minutes guys are playing. We're just trying to find patterns that can help everybody who is out on the floor and go from there. I think the last game, even though it was frustrating, I think the last game was a step forward getting Klay and Loon back. I think we have a little better sense of what we can do and where we can go as guys get healthier. Q. Can you describe for me the feeling of starting off as a kid player, moving up to a professional player and now to a professional NBA coach? STEVE KERR: Yeah, when I was a kid I watched the NBA. I watched the players, the games. I remember one of my first memories was watching the Lakers pour champagne on each other when they won the title with Wilt Chamberlain. I'm going to need a little help, '71? Anybody? All you old people out there? (Laughter.) Let's hear it from the geriatrics. What year was that? Q. '72. STEVE KERR: '72. So the Lakers won in '72. I was six and a half years old. I watched all those players pouring champagne on each other, and I thought that looks like the most fun anybody could possibly have. And so as I got older and continued to fall in love with the game, I dreamt of being able to do that. Then I got a little older and wiser and I realized I'm never going to get to do that. I'm not good enough. And so I really didn't expect to play or to coach in the NBA. So it's all kind of literally been a dream come true. I know people say that offhandedly, but that's really the truth and it really seemed like a dream and it's come true. So thanks for the question. Q. The other night in Game 4 the first-quarter defense was phenomenal. Took lot of energy. If Kevin is able to go, will having the extra body make a difference in terms of the energy required to defend this team? STEVE KERR: For sure. That's what we're hoping is the case, but we'll see. There's no doubt all that stuff matters. I think we just keep saying we got to just play with whoever is out there and that's the truth. The last game with Klay and Loon was a much better indicator of our team than Game 3 was. And so we had a better opportunity and we were more competitive. We didn't get it done, but you get to feel more like yourself as a team and the rotations stay similar, all that stuff. So that's what we're hoping for, but we'll see how it all plays out. Q. Did you sense that the team fell off a little bit after halftime in terms of energy? STEVE KERR: Yeah, I thought late third quarter our energy waned and our focus waned. We made a lot of defensive mistakes that seemed borne from just the frustration and maybe fatigue, just from we're playing guys heavy minutes and all that stuff. That's why I'm pleased that there will be two days before the next game and the next couple after that, if we can keep extending the series. As we get healthier and have some time to heal and rest, I like our chances. So we'll see what happens. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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