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Steve Kerr, Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors fell to a shock defeat at the hands of the Indiana Pacers on Saturday, Nov. 1. The win was Indiana’s first of the season, and the Warriors’ second straight loss.
During his postgame news conference, head coach Steve Kerr held his team accountable, noting how there was no excuse for the defeat. He pinpointed the rest his team had enjoyed, and how the execution wasn’t at the level it needed to be.
“It feels like we just gave away two games that if we are locked in and focused and playing the way we know we can play, we should have won them,” Kerr said. “…There’s gonna be some tough nights. I mean, there’s always tough nights during the This should not have been one of them. We had the day off yesterday. We didn’t shoot around this morning. We had plenty of rest. But the execution down the stretch was awful.”
The Warriors began the season with some stellar play. However, they seem to have hit a rough patch over the last two games. Fortunately for Golden State, we’re still early enough in the season that these losses don’t hurt too much. Nevertheless, Kerr and his coaching staff will undoubtedly want the team to bounce back into the win column as soon as possible.
Warriors Turnover Issues Continue
Over seven games, the Warriors are 27th in the NBA for turnovers, averaging 17.1 per game. When speaking to the media before Golden State’s latest loss, Kerr explained what he believes is leading to so many mistakes on the court.
“Probably trying too hard to make plays happen,” Kerr said. “We saw some mismatches, ran into the post, which would have been great, you know, in 2005. But not anymore. You really have to keep that lane open, and it opens up a lot of possibilities for us, especially with Jimmy and JK driving.”
Against the Pacers, the Warriors committed 16 turnovers, allowing 17 points. If Golden State had taken better care of the ball, then things could potentially have worked out very differently for Stephen Curry and co.
Warriors’ Mike Dunleavy Speaks On Kerr’s Future
During an Oct. 28 appearance on NBC Sports Bay Area’s pregame live show, Mike Dunleavy Jr. detailed the front office’s stance on Kerr’s long-term future with the franchise. Kerr is in the final year of his current contract.
“Look, the reality is, Steve can stay as long as he wants,” Dunleavy said. “If he’s going to coach here, we want to make sure that he fully wants to be here, is fully committed and all that. And I think Steve’s taking the time right now, he’s taking the season. We’re respectful of that.”
“I’m confident that he’ll be back and we’ll get something done,” Dunleavy continued. “But this is not like a normal situation with a coach in the last year of his deal. This is Steve Kerr.”
Kerr has led the Warriors to four championships during his tenure as head coach. And, with the current roster, he could find himself competing for a fifth. However, the Warriors must erase some of their mistakes if they’re going to emerge as genuine contenders in a loaded Western Conference.
Adam Taylor is a basketball reporter covering the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks and Miami Heat for Heavy. He holds bylines for CelticsBlog, USA Today and Yardbarker. Adam also covers the WWE and AEW. He has a bachelor’s degree in creative writing from Open University. More about Adam Taylor