{"id":38704,"date":"2025-03-03T00:48:45","date_gmt":"2025-03-03T00:48:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=38704"},"modified":"2025-03-03T00:48:45","modified_gmt":"2025-03-03T00:48:45","slug":"lets-not-talk-about-the-finals-steve-kerr-makes-his-ambitions-for-the-postseason-clear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=38704","title":{"rendered":"\u201cLet\u2019s Not Talk About the Finals\u201d: Steve Kerr Makes His Ambitions for the Postseason Clear"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-type=\"content\" data-variant=\"p\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-wp.thesportsrush.com\/2025\/03\/468145ec-nba-2025-03-02t123828.375.jpg?format=auto&amp;w=3840&amp;q=75\" alt=\"Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr reacts during the second quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center.\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"article-content-block-1\" data-type=\"content\" data-variant=\"p\">Playing without Jimmy Butler for the first time since his trade, the Golden State Warriors\u2019 five-game win streak was ended by a career-high 44-point outburst from Quentin Grimes. The newest member of the 76ers snapped Philly\u2019s 9-game losing streak with a scorching hot 18-of-24 performance from the field.<\/p>\n<p id=\"article-content-block-2\" data-type=\"content\" data-variant=\"p\">The Dubs led a comeback during the second half, spurred by Stephen Curry\u2019s 29 points and 13 assists. However, Grimes continued to make tough, contested buckets in the clutch to put the nail in the coffin.<\/p>\n<p id=\"article-content-block-3\" data-type=\"content\" data-variant=\"p\">For Golden State, the outcome is disappointing because a win against the Sixers would have elevated them to the sixth seed in the West. However, given their misfortunes over the past few months, Steve Kerr\u2019s team will be happy to at least be in the playoff conversation at this stage.<\/p>\n<p id=\"article-content-block-4\" data-type=\"content\" data-variant=\"p\">Despite their new-look roster, the Warriors head coach reflected on his team\u2019s modest aspirations at this point of the season.<\/p>\n<p id=\"article-content-block-5\" data-type=\"content\" data-variant=\"p\">When a reporter asked Kerr if his team possesses the necessary depth to compete in the NBA Finals, the 59-year-old candidly answered, \u201c<em>We would like to make the Playoffs. The Playoffs. You\u2019re talking about the Finals? We just want to make the Playoffs. Let\u2019s not talk about the Finals.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Steve Kerr asked if his bench would be enough in the Finals<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe would like to make the playoffs. The playoffs. You\u2019re talking about the Finals? We just want to make the playoffs. Let\u2019s not talk about the Finals.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/WXYgwcy7yM\">pic.twitter.com\/WXYgwcy7yM<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/anthonyVslater\/status\/1896059725848199247?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 2, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p id=\"article-content-block-7\" data-type=\"content\" data-variant=\"p\">With a 32-28 record, the Warriors remain just half a game behind the fifth-seeded LA Clippers. If they successfully usurp their position, Curry &amp; Co. will not have to worry about any Play-In games.<\/p>\n<p id=\"article-content-block-8\" data-type=\"content\" data-variant=\"p\">However, Kerr is also rightfully concerned about their position as the 10th seeded Mavericks are also just half a game behind the Dubs. A winning streak from either Dallas, Sacramento or Minnesota could very well force Golden State back into the Play-in tournament.<\/p>\n<h2>Are the new-look Warriors true title contenders?<\/h2>\n<p id=\"article-content-block-9\" data-type=\"content\" data-variant=\"p\">Kerr\u2019s refrained remarks were in stark contrast to the confidence Draymond Green exuded a few weeks ago. While providing color commentary for the All-Star Game, the four-time NBA champion stated, \u201c<em>I said\u00a0I think we\u2019re going to win a championship, but I lied. We are going to win the championship<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"article-content-block-10\" data-type=\"content\" data-variant=\"p\">Interestingly, DraftKings gave the Warriors the seventh highest odds of winning the 2024-25 championship following their five-game win streak. And it\u2019s for good reasons too.<\/p>\n<p id=\"article-content-block-11\" data-type=\"content\" data-variant=\"p\">Since Butler\u2019s arrival in Golden State, the Dubs have led the league in assists per game (31.7) while generating the sixth fewest turnovers (12.7), a change that Kerr argued was largely due to their latest acquisition. And it isn\u2019t the only area that Jimmy has impacted in his first 8 games.<\/p>\n<p id=\"article-content-block-12\" data-type=\"content\" data-variant=\"p\">In January, the Warriors recorded the second-fewest FTAs in the league (18). But with Butler in the lineup, they attempted the fourth-most free-throws in the league (25.3) through the month of February. Between the first and second months of the year, their average points in the paint also saw a jump from 40.4 to 48.5.<\/p>\n<p id=\"article-content-block-13\" data-type=\"content\" data-variant=\"p\">With Butler\u2019s inside prowess and Curry\u2019s long-range threat, the Dubs will certainly cause problems in the postseason. Add to that their defensive identity and intensity, and Golden State does look like a dark horse contender. However, their Playoff ceiling will be determined by their matchups as the team remains vulnerable against elite bigs like Nikola Jokic, who the Warriors would face in the first round if the season ended today.<\/p>\n<section>About the author&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Aakash Nair<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>NBA journalist Aakash Nair has followed the game for nearly a decade. He believes that basketball today is just as alive during the off-season with podcasts, interviews, articles and YouTube videos constantly providing fans with new insights. Aakash closely follows the game of narratives, of who will have a breakout year and who might be on the slump. As a fan, he is interested in all the context and behind-the-scenes moves that go into making a championship contender. As a writer, he intends to bring that same context to the forefront.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After suffering a loss in the first game without Jimmy Butler, Steve Kerr reflected on the modest aspirations for Golden State&#8217;s season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":38705,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38704","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>\u201cLet\u2019s Not Talk About the Finals\u201d: Steve Kerr Makes His Ambitions for the Postseason Clear - News 365<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=38704\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u201cLet\u2019s Not Talk About the Finals\u201d: Steve Kerr Makes His Ambitions for the Postseason Clear - 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