In light of current events, here are the lines that Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr said to his players at halftime in Game 5 of the NBA Finals series against the Boston Celtics: “You see how this game works? When you move, if you trust each other: suddenly the avalanche rolls, and that’s exactly how we’re going to win against this team: on the defensive, you already have it, and you can’t let it down gut to Great? That will decide whether we can pull this off.”
That concludes the game, the Warriors made the move from good to great after a period of weakness early in the third quarter; they won 104-94. They lead 3-2 in the best-of-seven series and still need a win to win the title. The sixth game will take place on Friday night (3 a.m. German time) in Boston. They won, even though Steph Curry, who had one of the greatest performances in Finals history (43 points) in the fourth game, failed to hit one of his nine attempts from the three-point line.
It was others who shone; For example Andrew Wiggins (26 points, 13 rebounds), Gary Payton junior (15 points with only eight throws) or Jordan Poole (14 points with eight attempts). They kept Boston under 100 again, with running defensive action that requires players to trust each other – because when passing or doubling, they have to rely on everyone paying attention and being able to help at any time. All of this is an example of how Kerr hired this team for this Finals series.
Kerr played with Jordan, Pippen and Rodman for the Bulls in the ’90s – and he won a string of titles
Kerr’s most outstanding quality isn’t that he probably knows more about this sport and this league than anyone else in the world. Anyone who played on the Chicago Bulls team in the late ’90s with Jordan, Pippen and Rodman and then experienced a completely different definition of basketball at the San Antonio Spurs with David Robinson and Tim Duncan can say that you have all the extremes of the NBA -to know the spectrum. He is also the only player in the last 50 years to have won four titles in a row.
His most outstanding quality isn’t that he’s a player understander – because he knows what this league can demand of you and what makes players tick. The conversations with his players are legendary because he seems to change personality. With Steph Curry he behaves like the proud big brother, he gives Klay Thompson the fatherly friend. Draymond Green is allowed to think of him as a tactical and psychology buddy – benching him at the end of game four and then explaining it to him in a way that Green accepts. Usually, Green only accepts Green’s analysis.
He conveys messages to the players to the public – after the recent Uvalde shooting, it was Kerr who spoke for most Americans – that basketball is what the NBA is all about. He shows them, and he also sets an example for them, that they should take what they are doing seriously – but not themselves, if you please. A phrase you often hear from him: “It’s just a game.”
This leads to the outstanding quality of the 56-year-old: he questions himself and he is willing to tell people when he has found a fault in himself. Which coach is so open to criticism these days? It’s impressive how, for example, he said after the third game of the finals series that he left Kevon Looney on the bench for too long: “Absolutely my fault.” How does a player who was maybe a little angry about the playing time react when the boss says: That’s right, my mistake – I’ll correct it. How Looney reacted on Monday night: four rebounds, three passes, and with him on the floor the Warriors managed twelve points more than Boston.
After the game, Kerr then happily changed personality again. Of Wiggins he said: “He’s found such an important role in our system – he knows how much we need him.” About Curry: “Oh, we knew that a game like this was coming. He was really angry when I told him that he should still throw three-pointers.” And about Greene, who doesn’t really get going in this series: “I wouldn’t trade what he gives us for anything.” So as always: For the Warriors players it’s not what they want to hear – but what they need to hear.
