NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS: LAKERS vs WARRIORS

May 10, 2023

Steve Kerr

Golden State Warriors

Game 6: Postgame

Warriors - 121, Lakers - 106

Q. Beside obviously just providing another scorer on the floor, when Draymond is aggressive like that on offense what does that do for your team?

STEVE KERR: Yeah, I mean, I think there's a stat somewhere Draymond's got it for sure. When he scores a certain number of points we usually win. When he's aggressive like that looking to attack it definitely adds another dimension to our team. I loved his approach to the game tonight. He was aggressive right from the start. Picked up a foul on the first play and didn't care. Like made no bones about it. He's like, I'm coming. I'm coming. I thought he was one of the keys, for sure.

Q. You stayed with Payton obviously in the starting lineup. He's plus 25 in this game. What does he do for you specifically against the Lakers that's kind of triggering some of this?

STEVE KERR: Well, Gary's a game changer and we knew that last year. We don't win the championship without Gary. So to get him back has completely changed our defense. Against these guys he's got the ability to get into their guards. They have great guard play with D-Lo and Reaves and Schröder. Obviously Walker last game played so well. And Gary gives us someone who can get underneath their ball handlers and at least make them have to work. And then offensively he's so unique with his speed and his ability to finish around the rim. So it's just, we're a different team now that he's back with us.

Q. Circling back to the aggression. What does an aggressive Andrew Wiggins do for you guys offensively?

STEVE KERR: This was the best game Wiggs has played since he's been back over, I guess, three weeks or so now. Just the way he attacked, the way he got to the rim. That adds another dimension to our attack. I thought the last couple games in L.A. we just didn't get to the line a ton. We settled for a lot of stuff. I thought Wiggs did a good job of really being aggressive.

Q. Steph has 22 assists the last two games. Obviously hasn't shot well from three by his standards. But how essential has that been his sort of play making and how much of that is a function of the way the Lakers are defending you guys?

STEVE KERR: Yeah, it's a little of both. I think Steph at this point in his career he really feels what needs to happen during a game, what's required of him. You saw it in Game 7 against Sacramento where he just, he knew he had to score, took 38 shots.

In this series the Lakers' defense is really good. They're great at the rim. We got to get the ball moving. We got to move their defense around. Steph understands that. I don't know what his assist-to-turnover ratio is in this series, but it's pretty impressive.

Q. You saw Draymond say on his pod, All we have to do is win one game and entire tenor of the series changes and the pressure is back on the Lakers. Obviously every single time you guys have gone to the playoffs basically since the big three's been together you guys have reached The Finals. Is there always a belief like no matter what situation you guys are in just because of that that you guys can get through at all?

STEVE KERR: Yeah, yeah, I think there's always that belief based on the success these guys have had and the confidence they have built up together, the continuity. So I think our guys were disappointed we couldn't wrap up Game 4 after playing pretty well for most of the game. But now we get another crack to go down there and try to even up the series. So guys will always have belief, that's just who they are.

Q. There was a sequence in the fourth quarter where Andrew was picking up LeBron almost full court, knocked the ball away. It wound up with Draymond blocking Anthony Davis. Take me through that sequence and what's it like to see their defense lead to offense on the other side.

STEVE KERR: Wiggs, we ask so much of him defensively and in any playoff series he's going to end up on the opponents' best wing player. So in this series that's obviously LeBron. And thank God we've got Wiggs, because he can play all night, he can pressure up the court, he can guard in the half court and stay in front of people. And on that particular play he picked up LeBron really high and then Draymond was behind the play to help him out. So it was a big sequence.

Q. Klay Thompson had 10 points tonight, 3-12 from the field, 2-6 from three. But he's plus 16 on tonight. So can you kind of just tell me your take, your perspective on how Klay played tonight. Do you think it was a really good Klay performance or do you think you need more for Game 6?

STEVE KERR: No, the thing with Klay is he's an incredible two-way basketball player. That's what wins in the playoffs. Shooting comes and goes, even for the best. But if you can defend, which Klay obviously can do, then you can help a team win a playoff game and in Klay's case a lot of playoff games. So the great thing is we know Klay's due for a good shooting night, but whether it comes or not, we know his defense is going to impact the game. As you said, plus 16 in 37 minutes. So he's doing a great job out there.

Q. AD's obviously had a huge impact on the series. You guys end up with 50 points in the paint tonight, pulled him away a little bit. How did you feel about handling that impact and are there times when, as great as he is, that you guys need to be more aggressive at the rim? Seems like there's just a lot of playing through.

STEVE KERR: Yeah, he's so good that you have to try to move him around. They did some different things tonight. They started switching more on pick-and-rolls. But Davis is a guy that you've got to find the right balance. You have to respect his presence at the rim, but you also can't shy away from it. So you got to understand if you have an angle to attack you got to take it. If he's there waiting that's a great time to make a jump stop and swing the ball to the other side. I thought our guys did a pretty good job of navigating that tonight.

Q. You mentioned the need to move them around, move him around defensively. Obviously the pick-and-roll's been an effective strategy in this series. They switched too, as you mentioned. How do you balance wanting to move them around with your traditional motion stuff with obviously, I guess, going heavier pick-and-roll?

STEVE KERR: Well, that's sort of the game for us in the playoffs. We traditionally play a lot more pick-and-roll in the playoffs. We didn't go as heavy tonight on that as we did in Game 4. But it's always a blend. A lot of what we do is after the pick-and-roll.

So, I mean, if Steph doesn't have a shot it's the movement that results from moving the defense around and maybe the ball swings and Klay gets a jumper, or Jordan or Wiggs. So it's still, whatever you do, whether it's motion offense or pick-and-roll you're still just trying to get a reaction and draw two defenders and then move the ball. If our spacing is good and we're making good decisions we can be effective either way.

Q. You guys were obviously one loss away from elimination, but with Draymond -- you said this the other night -- you were saying when he doesn't play well, you guys lose, he always comes back. Tonight did you anticipate this was going to come from him early on? Did you see it beforehand or did you sense it?

STEVE KERR: I think you just expect it in a situation like this where you're facing elimination. Draymond is one of the great competitors I've ever been around. So you just expect him to bring it. I didn't say anything to him. He doesn't need any pep talks from me, that's for sure.

Q. To follow-up with that. Great energy today. It's been tough to bottle that up and then take that down to L.A., but in this case do you think -- well not do you think, but in your coaching strategy would you pull Draymond aside and talk about his, you know, how great he did today and just kind of replicate that for Game 6?

STEVE KERR: I think that's what coaching is about. It's not just drawing up plays or figuring out the strategy, it's just communication. Whatever I feel a player needs to hear, whether it's from me or somebody on our staff, then we try to make sure we communicate that. Draymond and I have, we've known each other nine years now, so we have a good feel for each other and I think we see the game in a very similar manner. So we talk all the time. I say it a lot, this is a collaboration. A lot of times in film sessions the players will speak up and we'll make a decision based on how they feel. That's how this works. So we got to make sure we keep that connection going.

Q. Speaking of what guys need to hear. What did Jordan Poole need to hear after the last game and sort of how he came back in this one?

STEVE KERR: I think Jordan, I'm not sure what he needed to hear. I think what Jordan knows is that our guys support him. Our guys love him. Coaches, teammates. He's a great young guy. Everybody loves being around him. He's had a lot of success. This year has been up and down and so his teammates just want him to know that they're there for him. That's what it's about.

I thought he was much more aggressive and under control tonight. No turnovers. He really looked to score and get his shot going. He looked a lot more like himself tonight. I think all the guys are happy to see that because we know he's capable of so much.