NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: WARRIORS vs KINGS

April 28, 2023

Steve Kerr

Media Conference

Sacramento Kings 118, Golden State Warriors 99

Q. What did you think of the energy from the beginning? Could you tell your guys didn't really have it or was it other things in your mind right at the start?

STEVE KERR: Yeah, I thought the Kings were the aggressor from the start. You know, putting a lot of pressure on us defensively and we didn't execute early in the game. There were four or five plays early where we just took quick shots or didn't pass the ball to the open guy, and I think at halftime we had eight assists. You know, so we just never got our rhythm. We never got into our game.

But I give Sacramento the credit for that. They came out with more force and more energy and they executed better. So the right team won, that's for sure. They came in and earned the victory, and now we've got to regroup and get ready for Game 7.

Q. They changed up their rotation, went smaller. How did that impact the game?

STEVE KERR: Well, they had momentum already before they went small just from the force that they were playing with, and our being in a rush offensively, taking quick shots.

So I thought even though it was -- we were ahead at the end of the first quarter by two, it didn't feel great. You know, you could kind of sense that they were getting better shots than we were, and they were putting more pressure on us defensively.

But it definitely helped them. It was a great adjustment by Mike to go small and to get more space in the halfcourt and open up the floor a little bit. They were able to make 17 threes tonight and I don't think they have made that many in the series. So they obviously having lost three in a row, felt the need to make a shift, and that was their big move tonight, and I think it readily paid off.

Q. Jordan obviously had the ankle issues going on early in the series but how would you assess his performance since?

STEVE KERR: Yeah, Jordan never really got going tonight unfortunately. He got a little frustrated early. He had a couple plays where he didn't get calls and he was trying to attack and couldn't quite shake free, so just a frustrating night for him. But you know, it was a poor night for all of us, including me.

We always say, we win together, we lose together, and this was a team effort that includes players and coaches, and the Kings outplayed us, out coached us, deserved to win.

Q. How disappointing emotionally is it, you get the win on the road, and you knew you could clinch here and you rarely lose when you can clinch at home and knowing what you've got if you lose, what's your disappointment level and what's the disappointment level in that locker room?

STEVE KERR: Yeah, everybody is down right now. The game just ended. This is all part of it. We've been through everything. We've won a Game 7 on the road before in the playoffs. We know we can do it but we've got to regroup and kind of fill up the cup and get our energy ready for Sunday afternoon.

Q. Going back to the first question, the focus and energy to start the game, heading into Game 5, you said, if we weren't locked in, something was wrong. So do you think it was really just Sacramento, their aggression taking you out of it, or was there something wrong and not being able to really lock in for this potential close-out?

STEVE KERR: No, I think these -- I talked before the game how there was a different energy to every game in a series. There's a different psychology to it. I talked to the team yesterday about how I would expect a different Sacramento team tonight, a looser one, a more aggressive one, because that's how you play when you're facing elimination.

You know, Game 5, we were the aggressor. We had won two in a row. I felt like kind of the emotion favored us in that one, and you know, we talked about with our team about be ready, these guys are coming after us, and they did, and they just outplayed us. You know, sometimes this is what happens. This is the NBA. Everybody has got great players. Sacramento has had a hell of a year.

So you've got to win the game, and they came in and won the game.

Q. Do you think the quicker turnaround between Games 5 and 6 affected your team, and you have less than 48 hours before tip-off for Game 7, is that a concern?

STEVE KERR: Well, we'll be ready for Game 7. It doesn't matter. Like, you can look at everything and make excuses and say, well, we didn't have this or didn't have -- doesn't matter. No one of that matters. The only thing that matters is going out there and doing it.

They were the aggressor for sure. They had more juice, more energy. We have to make sure that we are the team that has that on Sunday.

Q. We saw Monk and Fox get penetration early in the series and maybe some of it was cut off. What happened with them? Was it just your guys getting beat off the dribble most of the time?

STEVE KERR: That was part of their strategy, going small, opening up the floor a little bit more. So they had more space to work with, and we did not respond very well. Our defense was not very sound, you know, during some of those stretches. So we'll watch the tape and figure out what we can do better.

Q. How big a problem was Draymond's foul trouble?

STEVE KERR: It was an issue, and yet, I felt good going into halftime, only down seven, considering the circumstances, maybe it was eight, I think seven; and that he was able to play and make an impact in the second half.

So I thought we withstood his foul trouble early but never really found our rhythm, either. It played a part but again that's part of it.

Q. You talked after Game 5, saying, basically, if we rebound and take care of the basketball, we'll be fine. Were you surprised that you didn't really dominate either area or do well in either area?

STEVE KERR: Well, that's the series, right. They had 18 offensive boards. We had 19 turnovers they turned into 23 points. But they earned that. They earned that with their defense, and we did not execute very well in those areas, so we paid the price.