NBA FINALS: CELTICS VS. WARRIORS

June 10, 2022

Steve Kerr

Golden State Warriors

Game 4: Postgame

Warriors 107, Celtics 97

Q. How do you think Steph's foot held up [laughter]?

STEVE KERR: Yeah, I think he was really laboring out there. He really struggled.

No, never even looked like it was a factor, so...

Q. What did you think ever his performance?

STEVE KERR: Just stunning. The physicality out there is, you know, pretty dramatic. I mean, Boston's got obviously, best defense in the league. Huge and powerful at every position, and for Steph to take that -- that kind of pressure all game long and still be able to defend at the other end when they are coming at him shows you, I think this is the strongest physically he's ever been in his career, and it's allowing him to do what he's doing.

Q. Steph was very emotional and outwardly showing lots of emotion. When he's displaying that kind of feeling throughout the entire game, what can you tell about the way that he's feeling in the game when he does that, or do you think that just injects the rest of your team with some other kind of juice?

STEVE KERR: Well, everybody was emotional tonight. Down 2-1, we had to come out with some desperation and more physicality than we showed in Game 3. So it was a team-wide sense of aggression and emotion. That started right from the opening tip.

Steph obviously doesn't normally show a lot of emotion, but a night like tonight warranted it.

Q. Obviously you don't normally take Draymond out in the middle of the fourth quarter in a game like this. What was the thinking in that, and did you see his reaction after, which was pretty emotional? And was it strictly to go offense-defense, because he was out for a while, but then you went offense-defense with him and Poole.

STEVE KERR: Yeah, we took him out and put Loon in around maybe the eight-minute mark maybe, 7:40, which was our plan, anyway. But Loon was playing so well and Jordan Poole was playing so well, so we just stayed with the group.

We generally do that. Like most coaches, if you've got a group that's going well, you just stay with it. The last few minutes we just went to kind of an offense-defense pattern with Draymond and Jordan alternating.

Q. Wiggins plays 44 minutes, 16 rebounds. How big was he tonight?

STEVE KERR: Wiggs was fantastic. To go against Boston, you've got to deal with Tatum and Brown, and they are just powerful, skilled players. Great size. They are coming downhill at you constantly, so we had to have Wiggs out there. I thought he was great defensively.

Obviously 16 rebounds, career-high, and plus-20 on the night. So we needed every bit of Wiggs contributions.

Q. You stuck to your guns for years now about keeping Steph's minutes down and not playing him a lot. How much gangsta did you have to summon to sit him to start the fourth quarter?

STEVE KERR: He was not happy. I felt pretty good about where we were. The other night he played the whole fourth, and I didn't love the way that quarter went, not because of how he played, but I think we were in a pretty good spot.

You know, to buy him a few minutes in that fourth quarter to start, I think to me was important. But you never know how it all plays out. You just kind of go with your gut.

Q. From a rebounding perspective, the game flipped completely when you put Loon into the game early in the first quarter. How important is he to what this team does on the glass?

STEVE KERR: Yeah, Loon is just crucial to everything we do. He's our best screener, our best rebounder. One of our smartest players. He's always in the right spot. He made I thought the biggest bucket in the game after Horford made the three from the corner, Draymond made the pass out of the pocket to Loon, he finished with that left hand.

So Loon has just grown leaps and bounds this year. He's been really good for us over the years, but this year in particular, he's taken a leap to a point where he's just irreplaceable for us. And he's played in every game, and he's a guy we count on.

I didn't play him enough in Game 3. That was my mistake. It was important to get him out there, and he had a huge impact on the game.

Q. For 26 consecutive series, dating back to 2013, pre-dating you, the Warriors have found a way to win on the road every single series. What is it about this group, the resolve, that allows that to happen?

STEVE KERR: Well, you have a group of guys who are going to be in the Hall of Fame someday: Steph, Klay, Draymond. These guys are the constant. They have been here together throughout that span. So they are not only gifted but they are incredibly competitive, and that's what it takes to win on the road. You have to summon that kind of will and intensity and passion, and those guys have that.

Q. What will be your main focus heading into Game 5?

STEVE KERR: Well, I think the whole focus has to be our energy and our force. It's obvious tonight how much more alert we were, how much more force we played with, and you know, they completely out-played us in Game 3 from that standpoint.

The series is now 2-2. I would expect both teams to bring every ounce of energy and emotion the rest of the way.

Q. Your group's been around a long time, and you've been with them, and they have been with you, and I know they trust you. But is there any kind of -- do you have to say anything to a guy like Draymond in a situation like that? He knows that, you know, maybe he wasn't playing great and Looney was playing better. Is there any part of you that has to explain that to him in that situation, or do you just trust that he --

STEVE KERR: You mean where I took him out?

Q. Yes.

STEVE KERR: No, no. I don't ever want our players to be happy if I take them out. Draymond is incredibly competitive. I didn't see -- I think Tim mentioned a reaction. I didn't see any reaction.

But he's the ultimate competitor. Came back in. Made huge plays down the stretch. He finishes a game with four steals, eight assists, nine boards.

Look, this is a tough series for him to score because of Boston's size and athleticism, but he's still impacting the game at a huge level. And he knows we're just going to do whatever it takes to win. We've got a lot of guys who can contribute. A lot of guys did that tonight, and you know, we got it done. And whatever it takes in Game 5, that's what we'll do, too.