NBA FINALS: CELTICS VS. WARRIORS

June 4, 2022

Steve Kerr

Golden State Warriors

Practice Day

Q. We only saw obviously a half hour of practice, and everyone came out of Thursday saying it's just one game. But it seemed normal. Guys were loose, guys weren't wallowing or anything like that. You always say it's just one game, but how important is it for guys to buy in and have their normal approach going into tomorrow?

STEVE KERR: Yeah, the value of experience, playoff experience, you really do understand the ups and downs of a playoff series. It's really important to turn the page one way or the other. You know, if you win and you get happy and you let your guard down, then you're in trouble. And if you lose and you feel sorry for yourself, then you're in trouble doing that, too.

It's all about how you respond. These guys are the best athletes, best competitors on earth, and a huge part of competition at the highest stage is your emotional and mental approach. That has to be consistent.

Q. Is Gary's elbow to the point that -- I know he was active the other night, but that you're comfortable putting him in the game?

STEVE KERR: Yeah, the other night, I would have put him in in special circumstances. Maybe a late-game stop. I didn't feel comfortable playing him significant minutes yet. I thought and the training staff felt like he needed a little more time.

I anticipate that he will be available for more than that tomorrow because the last couple of days have gone pretty well and he's feeling better.

Q. The Celtics played only one big for most of that fourth quarter in Game 1. Do you feel like that's something you guys need to adjust to? Or when you look back at that film in the fourth quarter, you feel it was more of an execution issue?

STEVE KERR: Well, the game is always tied together offensively and defensively, but it even ties together from the first quarter to the fourth quarter. I thought we got away from ourselves in the first quarter in terms of game plan. We let a few guys walk into some shots and get comfortable. We let Jaylen Brown get a fast-break dunk with nobody touching him and kind of a five-on-four situation.

I think everything that happened in the first three quarters helped the process in the fourth for them to get going the way they did. But obviously they played extremely well, and the lineup that they put out there has had a lot of success throughout the playoffs, too. So kind of a combination of all that.

Q. What's your reaction, having watched the video with the team and gone over things? And also, when you look at the way the fourth quarter unfolded, what do you think of the amount of defensive force that you guys played with?

STEVE KERR: The film showed the good and the bad. We had some good stretches, and then obviously the fourth quarter was -- as I said, it was like an avalanche. And I give Boston the credit that they deserve. They played a brilliant fourth quarter.

But again, we let our guard down earlier in the game, and that allows guys to be more comfortable when they are taking shots. And when you get a couple of early ones that you get a really good look at it, it just makes every shot easier after that.

I think it was our coverage breakdowns, personnel breakdowns earlier in the game that sort of fed into that.

Q. A little bit off-topic. I would presume that being a role player in this league would enable you to help coach role players because it's a shared experience and stuff like that. But how did being a role player in the NBA as a player help you coach stars? Was there anything kind of knowing how to play off of a star that has helped inform the way you coach them?

STEVE KERR: I think it's more my observation of watching Phil and Pop and how they collaborated with Michael, Scottie, Tim, David, Manu. Witnessing the relationship between the coach and the star has informed me much more than being a role player and what the dynamic is as that role player.

Yeah, I can't relate to anything Steph Curry is feeling on the court, but I can relate to the moments I saw my Hall of Fame coaches collaborate with those stars. That's been very helpful.

Q. Last game was the first time in a long time Jordan Poole wasn't highly effective. Looking back at the film, was there anything that you saw that he could have done better or that knocked him out of his rhythm?

STEVE KERR: It's a game where he didn't really get into rhythm. You give Boston the credit, again, that they deserve. They are the No. 1 defense in the league. They did a good job on him, staying physical with him.

Then you see the tape and you realize, okay, we could do this, we could do that, and you make some adjustments. But ultimately you trust that like any player who has made the impact that he has, you trust that there's going to be some ups and downs. I thought it was a tough night for him, but I have full confidence that tomorrow will be much better.

Q. What you spoke about in terms of handling the outcome of Game 1, do you or anyone on your staff, will they sort of monitor your opponent to gauge how they handle the success of Game 1, or do you just assume they are going to handle it perfectly?

STEVE KERR: We always discuss as a staff, if you're Boston, what do you do. If you're our opponent and you look at that tape, where would you make adjustments?

So we have some thoughts about what they might do differently going into Game 2. And then we've got to be prepared for that and make adjustments as we go.

Q. After the game Draymond and, to a degree, Steph talked about the game as an anomaly. Are you at all concerned that that might not be the right mental attitude, even though there are some element of truth in that, but are you concerned about that, that mental attitude, to just dismiss the game as an anomaly?

STEVE KERR: No. Draymond and Steph have been in the Finals six times now. They have seen it all. They have seen everything. They have won championships. They have lost championships. They have had their heart broken. They have had parades. This is all part of it. So that's the right mental approach, and that's one that's born out of experience.

I don't think anything was said with any sort of disrespect or whatever. It's nothing like that. We know how good Boston is and we have great respect for the way they played. I think you've got to look at that fourth quarter and say, job well done. Then you look at the tape and you go, well, here is where we can do better.

As far as interviews and postgame coverage, that stuff is -- our guys have been doing this for a long time.