When the Golden State Warriors hired Steve Kerr to be the team’s head coach going into last season, they could not have expected any better results. Kerr lead the team to a 67-15 record and a championship right out of the gate. Now, he’s back at the helm after missing the first part of this season, and he talked about the mindset of the team.
Kerr would know what it takes to win in this league. After all, he was part of some of the greatest teams in history when he was on the Chicago Bulls from 1995-96 through 1997-98. He saw greatness, both from players and the coach, firsthand. He has since used some of that information to help the Warriors.
From KQED News:
“As Phil Jackson once said, ‘Basketball is a metaphor for life and life is a metaphor for basketball,’” said Kerr. “There’s going to be great joy and great heartbreak and everything in between. If you can’t accept that and you think everything is going to be perfect all the time, you’re in for a rough ride.”
The one thing Kerr seems to have done the most with this Warriors squad in his first two seasons is prepare them for the ups and downs, and they’ve enjoyed every step of the way as they play fun, free-flowing basketball that no other team in the league can really duplicate at this point in time. They’re having fun, and it’s translating.
Kerr does know that there is pressure this season, though. He called last season a “Honeymoon”, and added that “it’s not as innocent” when those outside the organization now expect great things every time out there. Still, the team is having fun, and Kerr is their director.
While people can quip that any coach in the league would be winning like this with the Warriors, they still can’t take away from what the second-year coach has been able to do in such a short time. He’s helped mold a dynasty, and there are only a handful of coaches in the profession who would know how to properly stoke the flames to make this happen.
Kerr deserves a ton of credit, as do Walton and the other coaches. But they wouldn’t have much to work with without a front office that’s been aces and an ownership that’s had the knack for spotting the best people to hire and retain. This is really an incredible organization right now, and it’s fun to watch them.