Warriors coach Steve Kerr compares Mavs to Houston Rockets and Doncic to Harden

The Golden State Warriors have great respect for Luka Doncic before the duel with the Dallas Mavericks. Head coach Steve Kerr compared the Slovenian to James Harden when he played for the Houston Rockets.

“I wasn’t shocked that Dallas won because they’re a strong team,” said Warriors coach Steve Kerr when asked if he was surprised the Warriors won’t face the Phoenix Suns in the Conference Finals. “The difference was shocking of course, you don’t expect that, but it was one of those games.”

Kerr continued to speak highly of the Mavericks, calling it a “perfect game” Dallas played in Phoenix. “They’ll come into Game 1 with us with a lot of confidence,” said the three-time Warriors champion coach.

The Warriors beat Denver (4-1) and then Memphis (4-2) on their way to the Conference Finals, but the Mavericks are now of a different caliber. Kerr still believes his team will be prepared, not least because the core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green have played similar opponents in the past.

Warriors coach: Doncic is like James Harden

“I think Dallas is very similar to the Rockets teams that we’ve played in years past,” Kerr said. “They have five shooters and three playmakers in Jalen Brunson, Spencer Dinwiddie and Luka Doncic.” Kerr has particular respect for the Mavs’ five-out lineup, calling it a “unique threat.”

This is especially true when Doncic is on the field. “Doncic is an incredible player who can beat you in so many ways,” Kerr continued. “He’s very similar to James Harden in that regard. We have a big task ahead of us.”

In the regular season, the Mavericks were ahead, winning three of the four comparisons. In this series, however, the Warriors have home field advantage by winning one more game than the Texans. Game 1 of the series takes place on Thursday night at 3 a.m. (live on DAZN) instead of.