Coach Steve Kerr Speaks After Game 1 Win vs Timberwolves | May 6, 2025

Coach Steve Kerr Speaks After Game 1 Win vs Timberwolves | May 6, 2025

ANY GENERAL UPDATE ON STEPH? ANY PROGNOSIS AT ALL? >> JUST DAY TO DAY. HE’LL GET AN MRI TOMORROW. >> DID YOU TALK TO HIM? JUST WHAT WAS. >> YEAH. TALKED TO HIM AT HALFTIME. JUST, YOU KNOW, HE’S OBVIOUSLY CRUSHED. BUT, YOU KNOW, THE GUYS PICKED HIM UP AND PLAYED A GREAT GAME. AND OBVIOUSLY WE’RE ALL, YOU KNOW CONCERNED ABOUT STEPH. BUT IT’S PART OF PART OF THE GAME. YOU JUST GUYS GET HURT AND YOU MOVE ON. OUR GUYS DID A GREAT JOB OF MOVING ON AND GETTING A GREAT WIN. YOU KNOW 48 HOURS AFTER A GAME SEVEN ROAD WIN. IT’S AN AMAZING GROUP OF GUYS. THESE GUYS ARE THEY COMPETE AND THEY’RE TOGETHER. WE’VE BEEN THE BEST DEFENSE IN THE LEAGUE SINCE THE JIMMY TRADE. AND THAT’S WHAT’S KEEPING US AFLOAT RIGHT NOW. >> WHAT’S THE MESSAGE TO THE GROUP WHEN YOU FIND OUT STEPS UP. >> I DIDN’T SAY ANYTHING. YOU KNOW BY THE TIME WE GOT IN TO HALFTIME INTO THE LOCKER ROOM, STEPH WAS ALREADY IN THERE WITH AN ICE BAG ON HIS ON HIS HAMSTRING. AND THE GUYS ALREADY KNEW. AND WE JUST WE DIDN’T SAY ANYTHING. WE JUST I JUST TOLD TOLD GARY HE’D START FOR STEPH. AND YOU KNOW WE TALKED ABOUT THE PLAN FOR THE SECOND HALF. >> WHAT CAN YOU SAY. JUST ABOUT BUDDY HIELD FULL COURT TWO WAY DEFENSIVE STOPPER, SHOOTING WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL HIM. YEAH. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THAT GAME BY BUDDY? >> A BUDDY WAS FOLLOWING UP THAT THAT AMAZING GAME SEVEN. HE WAS JUST CRUCIAL FOR US TONIGHT. I THINK HE STARTED OUT THE GAME ZERO FOR SEVEN. AND WE NEEDED EVERY ONE OF HIS 24 POINTS WITH STEPH OUT. YOU KNOW WE HAD VERY VERY FEW OPTIONS OFFENSIVELY. AND THE GUYS DID A REALLY GOOD JOB OF JUST DEFENDING AND TRYING TO RUN OFF THE MISSES SO WE COULD, YOU KNOW, GET GET THE OFFENSE GOING BEFORE THEY COULD SET UP THEIR DEFENSE. NOT THAT IT WAS A GREAT TRANSITION GAME FOR US. I MEAN WE ONLY HAD SIX FAST BREAK POINTS. BUT YOU KNOW WHEN YOU’RE DEFENDING LIKE THAT YOU ALWAYS HAVE A CHANCE. AND SOME GUYS HIT SOME SOME BIG SHOTS. YOU KNOW BUDDY’S THREE. GARY’S THREE JIMMY HAD A BUCKET IN THAT STRETCH WHERE THEY CUT IT TO I THINK EIGHT OR SO. SO WE DID WHAT WE HAD TO DO. GREAT DEFENSE. AND YOU KNOW JUST KIND OF HANG ON IN THAT FOURTH QUARTER. >> WHAT WAS DRAYMOND DOING JUST DEFENSIVELY TO IT SEEMED LIKE HE WAS EVERYWHERE ALL THE TIME. WAS THERE SOMETHING PARTICULARLY SPECIAL ABOUT HIS EFFORT TONIGHT. >> WELL DRAYMOND WAS DOING WHAT DRAYMOND’S BEEN DOING FOR 13 YEARS FOR WHATEVER. HOW MANY YEARS HE’S BEEN IN THIS LEAGUE. HE’S THE BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER I’VE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE. HE WAS EVERYWHERE. HE WAS GUARDING EVERYONE. HE JUST HAS A WAY OF HELPING EVERY SINGLE TEAMMATE BY BEING IN THE RIGHT SPOT AND THWARTING DIFFERENT ADVANTAGES THAT THE OPPONENT HAS. AND HE MAKES HE MAKES OUR DEFENSE GO. HE MAKES THE GAME MUCH EASIER FOR ALL OF THE OTHER GUYS. >> HAMSTRINGS ARE PARTICULARLY TRICKY TO PLAY THROUGH. ARE YOU KIND OF OPERATING UNDER THE ASSUMPTION GAME PLANNING? UNDER THE ASSUMPTION OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS THAT HE PROBABLY WON’T BE OUT THERE GAME? >> YEAH, YEAH. I’M I’M WE’RE DEFINITELY GAME PLANNING FOR HIM TO NOT NOT BE AVAILABLE ON THURSDAY BUT WE DON’T KNOW YET. BUT WITH A HAMSTRING IT’S HARD TO IMAGINE THAT HE WOULD PLAY THURSDAY. >> WHAT’S KIND OF THE I MEAN I KNOW IT’S EARLY AND YOU’LL HAVE A DAY TO REALLY THINK ABOUT IT, BUT BUT AS YOU RESET THE SERIES WITHOUT HIM, WHAT’S LIKE HOW DO YOU FIND ENOUGH SCORING? >> WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THAT. WE’RE GOING TO GIVE THE PLAYERS THE DAY OFF TOMORROW. NOTHING. NO FILM THEY NEEDED. THEY NEED A DAY. YOU KNOW THE THESE GAMES ARE HAVE BEEN EVERY OTHER DAY WE’RE FLYING ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE COUNTRY. OUR GUYS ARE TIRED AND THEY THEY NEED A REST. THEY NEED THE DAY. SO THE COACHES WILL MEET TOMORROW AND WE’LL FIGURE OUT OUR PLAN FOR THURSDAY. >> THEY MISSED THEIR FIRST 15 THREE POINTERS FINISHED AT 17%. WHAT WAS THE GAME PLAN? WHAT WAS THE KEYS TO LIMITING THEM FROM THE ARC? >> WELL, WE DID A GREAT JOB EARLY OF KEEPING THEM FROM GETTING MANY GOOD LOOKS. I MEAN, I THOUGHT THEIR FIRST 7 OR 8 THREES WERE WERE TOUGH THREES. I’LL WATCH THE TAPE. MAYBE I’M WRONG, BUT IT FELT LIKE OUR DEFENSE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE EARLY THREES. AND SOMETIMES YOU KNOW WHEN YOU WHEN YOU DON’T GET OPEN LOOKS EARLY AS A TEAM YOU START TO FORCE THINGS A LITTLE BIT. AND THEN WHEN YOU DO HAVE AN OPEN ONE YOU’RE NOT IN RHYTHM. SO I THOUGHT THEY HAD SEVERAL REALLY GOOD LOOKS LATE SECOND QUARTER MID SECOND QUARTER. BUT WE HAD DONE A GOOD JOB TAKING THEM OUT OF OUT OF RHYTHM. THEY WE HELD THEM TO 11 POINTS IN THAT SECOND QUARTER. AND SO WE ESTABLISHED A REALLY GOOD DEFENSIVE POSTURE AND MINDSET. AND THAT WAS THAT WAS ENOUGH TO REALLY, YOU KNOW, SWING THE GAME. AND WE WERE ABLE TO HOLD THEM OFF IN THE SECOND HALF. >> WAS THE PLAN COMING IN TO GO 12 DEEP JUST COMING OFF OF SUNDAY? WAS THAT AN ADJUSTMENT WITH STEPH GOING OUT? >> NO, THAT WAS AN ADJUSTMENT WITH STEPH’S INJURY. AND YOU KNOW WE WERE COMPLETELY WINGING IT IN THE SECOND HALF. >> AND THEN WHAT DID YOU THINK OF JUST PAT AND JC LOONEY. >> AWESOME AWESOME. EVERY SINGLE GUY WHO CAME OFF THE BENCH CONTRIBUTED. YOU KNOW I NEVER REALLY LOOK AT THE STATS AFTER A PLAYOFF GAME. I JUST THINK ABOUT HOW GUYS COMPETED. AND I THOUGHT EVERY GUY WHO CAME OFF THE BENCH, WHETHER IT WAS MOSES OR GUEYE LOONEY QP QUENTIN WAS A PLUS 14 IN 6 MINUTES, DIDN’T TAKE A SHOT, BUT HE BATTLED AND WE WERE IN A GOOD, GOOD, GOOD RUN THERE WITH HIM. JC TO COME OFF THE BENCH AND PLAY SOME IMPORTANT MINUTES WHEN HE HASN’T BEEN IN THE ROTATION, THAT WAS IMPORTANT. AND PAT’S, WE’VE SEEN PAT, HE’S A GAMER, WE KNOW THAT. AND THOSE MINUTES WERE BIG. AND STEPH DOESN’T GO YOU KNOW PAT WILL DEFINITELY GET MORE TIME THURSDAY. >> STEVE YOU’VE TALKED ABOUT WHAT A DIFFERENT DIMENSION YOUR OFFENSE HAS WITH JIMMY. AND WITH STEPH OUT I WOULD IMAGINE THAT ACCENTUATES THAT. IT LOOKED LIKE YOU WENT THROUGH JIMMY ALMOST EVERY POSSESSION. YEAH. HOW MUCH? MAYBE IT’S OBVIOUS, BUT TO HAVE JIMMY WHEN STEPH GOES DOWN, HOW MUCH DOES THAT CHANGE THE DYNAMIC. >> IT’S MASSIVE. THE GAME SETTLES DOWN. I MEAN YOU COULD SEE THE LAST, YOU KNOW, SIX, EIGHT MINUTES. ALL WE WERE DOING WAS HIGH BALL SCREENS FOR JIMMY. AND WE WERE EVEN WILLING TO TAKE SHOT CLOCK VIOLATIONS. AT THAT POINT IT WAS ALL ABOUT PROTECTING THE BALL. AND JIMMY IS, I THINK, AS AS GOOD AS ANYBODY, ANY STAR IN THE LEAGUE AT READING THE GAME, UNDERSTANDING HOW TO CONTROL THE TEMPO, CONTROL THE, YOU KNOW, TIME AND SCORE, UNDERSTANDING EVERYTHING THAT’S HAPPENING AND PUTTING THE BALL IN HIS HANDS IN A SITUATION LIKE THAT IS PRETTY COMFORTING. >> JIMMY ALSO HAD SIX OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS, TWO STEALS IN THE FIRST HALF. HOW CRUCIAL ARE THOSE LITTLE DETAILS, ESPECIALLY GOING AGAINST GOBERT AND RANDALL. >> INCREDIBLE ANTICIPATION. YOU KNOW, AND I THINK THAT’S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT SEPARATES GREAT PLAYERS IS THE ANTICIPATION OF WHAT’S HAPPENING AT ALL TIMES. BOTH ENDS OF THE FLOOR. JIMMY’S GOT THAT THAT SENSE. >> STEVE, YOU OBVIOUSLY ARE ALWAYS GOING TO ON THE SIDE OF CAUTION WHEN IT COMES TO STEPH, ESPECIALLY WITH THE HAMSTRING. BUT HOW MUCH DOES THIS WIN AFFORD YOU TO BE A LITTLE EXTRA CAREFUL? >> I DON’T I DON’T KNOW THAT IT AFFORDS ME ANYTHING. I JUST I JUST LISTENED TO RICK CELEBRINI AND WHATEVER RICK SAYS GOES AND HE’S THE EXPERT AND HE’S GOT AN AMAZING FEEL FOR THESE GUYS, AND I’M SURE WE’LL GET AN UPDATE TOMORROW AND WHATEVER, WHATEVER RICK SAYS, THAT’S WHAT WE’RE DOING. >> BECAUSE OF HOW GUTSY THIS ONE WAS. WHERE WOULD YOU SAY THIS KIND OF RANKS FOR YOU PERSONALLY OF, YOU KNOW, WINNING WITHOUT STEPH, WITH SOME OF THE SOME OF THE THINGS YOU’VE GONE THROUGH 13TH? >> OKAY. >> SORRY, I. >> YOU JOKED PREGAME ABOUT BUDDY BEING YOUR DEFENSIVE STOPPER, BUT YOU DO PUT HIM ON EDWARDS TO START THIS GAME. YEAH. WAS THAT A STATEMENT OF ANY KIND OR JUST LET’S SEE WHAT WHAT HAPPENS WE PUT ON. >> THIS GUY. YEAH I MEAN I THINK IT’S BASED ON WHAT OUR OPTIONS ARE YOU KNOW, AND TWO WAY BASKETBALL. CAN WE GET ENOUGH SCORING AT ONE END AND ENOUGH DEFENSE OR THE OTHER TO MAKE THE GAME MAKE SENSE. AND BUDDY MAKES THE MOST SENSE. THE WAY HE’S PLAYING DEFENSIVELY, THE WAY HE’S SHOOTING THE BALL. IT WAS IT WAS A NO BRAINER TO START, BUDDY. >> OBVIOUSLY IT’S A LONG TIME AGO, BUT STEPH MISSED A BUNCH OF PLAYOFF GAMES IN 2016 AND 2018 AND YOU GUYS SURVIVED. ANY LESSONS ANY WHAT DO YOU WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THOSE GAMES? WHAT DO YOU TAKE FROM THAT OR WHAT DOES IT MATTER AT ALL? >> WELL I THINK YOU KNOW THE DIFFERENCE. AT THAT TIME WE HAD AN ALL TIME NBA ROSTER, YOU KNOW, SO THOSE DAYS WE WERE WELL EQUIPPED TO HANDLE, YOU KNOW THE LOSS OF STEPH WHEN YOU CAN BRING SHAUN LIVINGSTON AND ANDRE IGUODALA INTO THE GAME TO BACK UP OR TAKE STEPH’S MINUTES. YOU’RE IN PRETTY GOOD SHAPE. BUT THERE IS A LESSON I MEAN YOU YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WHAT IT TAKES TO WIN A GAME WITHOUT WITHOUT YOUR BEST PLAYER. AND TONIGHT WAS A GOOD INDICATION OF THAT. DRAYMOND AND LOON AND JIMMY LED THE WAY JUST WITH THE LEADERSHIP ON THE SIDELINES TALKING TO THE GUYS RECOGNIZING IF YOU BATTLE FOR EVERY LOOSE BALL EVERY REBOUND I MEAN WE GOT 18 OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS. YOU KNOW WE OUTREBOUNDED THEM 5141. YOU KNOW THEIR GUYS ARE ALL SIX INCHES TALLER THAN ALL OF OUR GUYS. YOU KNOW. SO IT’S ABOUT THE INTENSITY THE HEART THE FIGHT. AND IF YOU DO THAT AND YOU GIVE YOURSELF A CHANCE THEN YOU JUST FIND WAYS TO SCORE. WE MADE 18 THREES. AND LIKE I SAID WE HAD A LOT OF GUYS MAKE BIG SHOTS. YOU KNOW DRAYMOND YOU KNOW FOUR THREES IN THE FIRST HALF GARY MADE THAT HUGE THREE LATE TO KIND OF STEM THE TIDE. SO IT’S ABOUT

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