NBA FINALS: CELTICS VS. WARRIORS

June 9, 2022

Steve Kerr

Golden State Warriors

Practice Day

Q. How was Steph's foot feeling when he woke up this morning, and do you have anything about his status for tomorrow?

STEVE KERR: I don't really have any update. I haven't even talked to him about it. We had a film session just now. We expect him to play tomorrow, but I don't have any details.

Q. You had another great third quarter, but in a simplistic way, if you can start the second half like that, why can't you start the game with the same intensity and discipline?

STEVE KERR: I ask myself that question very often, and I don't have an answer.

Q. Just what do you think has been the biggest issue in the fourth quarters of the two games that you've lost, Game 1 and Game 3, just as far as their defense kind of taking over and really making life difficult?

STEVE KERR: We struggled to score last night, with just 11 points in that fourth after, I think, 67 total over the second and third. Biggest issue last night in the fourth was four straight turnovers, I think. Maybe not consecutive turnovers, but four early turnovers that allowed them to get a little distance. That changes the game.

When you are down two or four, you're right there. You fall down 10 or 12, it's much tougher to manage. So the turnovers early were the biggest problem.

Q. Klay mentioned 2015 vibes. In 2015, you were down 2-1 to Cleveland, and then you famously made the Iguodala for Bogut move. I know you're not going to tell the truth at this moment, but how much inspiration do you get out of that, and how much is there a way, okay, if we make too much of a change, that's a signal that things aren't going right? Where is that balance?

STEVE KERR: I think that's always what you kind of weigh as a coaching staff. You balance any type of adjustment or lineup change or anything like that, and you have to weigh it according to where you feel you are in the series. Not only with the series score, but emotionally, spiritually, where are the players? That sort of thing.

Everything factors in, and there's no clear path to a right or wrong answer. It's just every year is unique and circumstantial. That's what today and tomorrow will be about for our staff. You know, what adjustments we feel like we need to make.

Q. I know you said you haven't talked to Steph yet, so is he going to participate in practice today, or do you not know that?

STEVE KERR: We're not practicing. Yeah, it's just a recovery day. There will be some guys who will be out on the floor shooting. The guys who didn't play as much or play at all will be out there getting workouts, but the high-minute guys will just be getting treatment and recovery.

Q. What can you guys do or what does Jordan have to do to just get him going more offensively?

STEVE KERR: I think I'm not really concerned with Jordan's offense, honestly. I think everything starts at the defensive end of the floor for all of us, for our whole team. That means individually each guy has to step up and play a better game tomorrow, Jordan included.

When you play better defense, the offense seems to follow. I think that has to be our focus tomorrow. Our defense was not good yesterday.

Q. Celts had 52 points in the paint last night. 24 in Game 2 and 34 in Game 1. Was there something schematically that they did differently, or was it just, like you said last night, they were getting by you guys so easily?

STEVE KERR: It was just point-of-attack defense. They didn't do anything differently. Pretty much the same strategy that they've had the first couple of games.

But they got past that first line of defense too often, and that led to some rotations and some kick-outs and some open threes. So they played really well offensively, and we played poorly defensively. That's the result.

Q. You mentioned the video session. What did you see in that fourth-quarter scrum? What did you think of that play, and do you have any more detail on what happened to Steph there?

STEVE KERR: I don't have any more detail. He was just involved in the pile-up. But we missed, like, three box-outs on the play. That's sometimes what happens.

You give up a bucket. You give up an offensive board that leads to an offensive advantage. In this case, it led to a scrum. The rebounding was a big issue last night for us. We've got to clean that up.

Q. Is there a common thread you've noticed in all these games in the locker room at halftime that causes them to come out at full tilt that third quarter? Is there anything in the locker room, anything you are telling them or just anything in general?

STEVE KERR: I go into my book of incredibly inspiring quotes from movies and history. I just try to pull out the right one, and if I get them fired up and they're excited, then they seem to play better.

I have no idea. It's been our pattern for many years and has nothing to do with me or our coaching staff. It's just the players. They seem ready to roll.

Q. It's so obvious the Celtics are so athletic and get up in the air, acrobatic. Is it too simplistic to say maybe guys like Kuminga and Moody could combat that? How much thought has been put into getting some of the younger guys -- obviously very raw -- into an athletic game like that?

STEVE KERR: It's always a possibility. You never rule out anything. It's something we discuss as a staff every day. Do we need to insert another player into the rotation? Do we need to change a combination, lineup combination? All that stuff is discussed, and we just make the best decision that we think can be made and roll with it.