NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: MAVERICKS VS. WARRIORS

May 20, 2022

Steve Kerr

Golden State Warriors

Game 2: Pregame

Q. You guys obviously have within the league a pretty unique style that teams a lot of times talk about how going to play you after a different series can kind of be a shock to their system. Do you see that? Do you feel like at times your unique style can be an advantage early in a series against a team that hasn't played you?

STEVE KERR: I don't know. I mean, I didn't think it was an advantage against Memphis. I think every team is different. Matchups kind of dictate all that stuff. But I do know that we're different, and obviously we're different because Steph is different. Steph -- there's very few, if any, superstar ball handling point guards, or point forwards, who move off the ball like he does.

The fact that we can vary our attack with Steph on or off the ball and the fact that it happens in the same possession where he'll use pick-and-roll, give it up and then fly off the screen, it does give defenses more to have to be concerned with. That's what makes Steph unique.

Q. I think there was some fear especially among fans that when you guys left Oracle that you might be leaving this amazing home-court advantage. You're 7-0 here in the Playoffs. I'm just wondering, do you feel like it's hard to compare anything to Oracle, but do you feel like you're starting to create that kind of vibe in Chase Center?

STEVE KERR: Yeah, the energy has been fantastic in Chase. I wasn't here for Game 6, but all the coaches told me it was the loudest they had heard Chase in the two and a half years it's been open.

I think the arena was built in a way that it maintained some intimacy despite all the bells and whistles. It's very difficult to build modern arenas and keep an intimate environment because of the size of the concourses and number of suites and all that.

So I think it was really well done in terms of trying to achieve both those goals. We love playing here.

Q. Obviously things went well for you in Game 1, but you always say every game is different, every series is different. You have so many veterans on this team who have been through this. Is this something you need to address, that Dallas is going to come out stronger in Game 2, or is that kind of within your culture?

STEVE KERR: No, definitely it was addressed. It'll be re-emphasized. You can't say that enough in the Playoffs, and it's just the way it always works. You saw what Boston did last night.

I've seen it for my entire time in the NBA, player, executive, coach. Game 2 of a playoff series is always very different based on the outcome of Game 1.

We have to maintain our edge tonight, and we've got to really come out and be ready for the force that they're undoubtedly going to bring.

Q. They took a ton of threes in Game 1, missed a lot, especially early. What did you think rewatching the tape? Were you okay with the shots that they got or did you feel like some of them were too open?

STEVE KERR: They got some good looks. I felt like our defense was good for the most part. We gave up -- we made some mistakes. They got one on an out of bounds play where I think Finney-Smith got a corner three wide open. A couple broken plays where they missed some open ones.

I'm sure they'll shoot better, and what's important to us is maintaining our intensity defensively because if you're making people uncomfortable, which I think we did the other night, then the open ones are harder, if there's just more defensive pressure. That defensive pressure is going to be key. We've got to do it through their hot streaks and through the times when they're not shooting well, also.

It's a matter of just doing what we do and just kind of playing the percentages.

Q. Your rebounding against Memphis was really remarkable. People thought you were going to be a smaller team. You did really well. You did really well against Dallas. Is there a secret, and maybe if you tell us we won't tell anyone?

STEVE KERR: We were a pretty good rebounding team all year. I think having Loon play a lot of minutes is definitely really helpful for our rebounding. I think Wiggs has been a different guy on the glass in the Playoffs than he was in the regular season. Klay joined the fray in Game 6 against Memphis. I think he had seven or eight boards.

There's just a greater sense of urgency and awareness for sure, and that has to continue.

Q. If you notice, there's been a lot of blowouts in these Playoffs. You've been involved on either side of blowouts. Is there a particular reason? Is it the three-point offense? Do you feel sometimes when you're ahead you can blow it open faster and when you're behind there's more pressure, and is there a specific reason you think this might be happening?

STEVE KERR: I mean, I would guess the three-point line. Boston was down 10 four minutes into the game, and I think made nine out of 11 threes in the first quarter, and the dam broke. I don't know what they were up at the end of that quarter, but the number of threes that teams are taking and the proficiency, the number of people who are capable of getting hot, I just think there's more likelihood in the modern game that you see one team just make an avalanche of threes.

In the regular season there's maybe more swings where you get the reverse in the next quarter, but in the Playoffs there's a little more pressure and the team falls down after a barrage of threes. It's tougher to come back. Maybe like Phoenix in Game 7 against Dallas, the early barrage was tough.

That would be my guess as to why that's happening.