Steve Kerr: It's 'insane' to deem Warriors' season a failure if they lose Finals
Golden State coach Steve Kerr doesn't get caught up in legacy talk
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2 min read
After Game 6 of the NBA Finals, a reporter asked Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson if another loss would mean the season is a failure. Thompson answered that it "100 percent" would, adding that it is "either win the whole thing or bust for us." A couple of days later, Golden State coach Steve Kerr said that Thompson was tricked into answering that way, and completely dismissed that line of thinking.
"I don't want to insult anybody," Kerr said. "I think it's an unfair question and I never look at sports that way. And I think it's insane, with all due respect to Klay, of course, it's insane to actually say that. Like, really? Come on."
The Warriors won 73 games, an accomplishment that no other team in NBA history has achieved. They did that after winning a title last season, not only avoiding a "championship hangover" but making the concept seem laughable. Their success playing at a fast pace, switching on defense and firing 3-pointers has changed the league. To get to this point, they survived a serious scare in the Western Conference finals, coming back from a 3-1 deficit to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder. Golden State's goal is unquestionably to repeat as a champion, but falling short of that ultimate goal is different than completely failing.
Kerr was a player, a general manager and a member of the media before becoming a coach. He has seen it all, and he knows what the storylines will be if the Warriors lose Game 7 on Sunday. He has no problem with people framing those 48 minutes as a battle that will determine the reputation of everybody involved, whether it's himself, Stephen Curry or LeBron James. He simply refuses to buy into it.
"That's all part of this machine that the NBA is," Kerr said. "And that's why we all make a lot of money. That's why it doesn't bother me. So everybody's reputation is at stake in terms of legacy or whatever and what people write. But in terms of the people that matter -- your family members, your friends, your teammates, people in the organization -- nobody's reputation is at stake. We're trying to win a game and it doesn't change anything about anybody on either team win or lose. It changes the narrative from the media. And that's the deal. That's the deal that we accept when we sign up for this stuff."
Part of preparing for a game of this magnitude is dealing with pressure. It doesn't help Cleveland or Golden State, however, to focus on the judgments that will come when the season is over. Kerr's view is sensible, and it is also pragmatic -- he wants his players to know that he isn't putting any extra pressure on them. Everybody else is doing that, anyway.
"You think I'm going to think anything less of Steph Curry tomorrow if he doesn't play a great game or if we lose? Of course not," Kerr said. "But all the other stuff, we have to embrace. Maybe not embrace, but accept. Because it's part of the deal. And it's a hell of a deal. We have good lives."
