Warriors: Steve Kerr wants to forget last year, but bad memories are inspiring hot start
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Warriors won their last two games at the buzzer.
Klay Thompson’s game-winning jumper against the Sacramento Kings gave them win No. 4 and No. 5 against the Thunder came courtesy of Steph Curry’s layup off the high backboard over seven-footer Chet Holmgren’s outstretched arm. It was a bucket initially waved off for Draymond Green’s basket interference, then overturned to give Curry and Golden State the winning points when a review revealed Oklahoma City’s Josh Giddey had pulled the net and Green only grabbed the rim.
Both thrilling. Both ugly, be it for poor shooting against the Kings or poor defense against the Thunder. But ugly wins are a beautiful sight for a Warriors team that would spiral when things got rough last season.
“We’ve been good so far, executing down the stretch,” Kevon Looney said. “Last year we struggled with that. But this year it’s something we focused on, winning in the margins. Everybody knows where the ball is going and where to be at.”
Coach Steve Kerr doesn’t like to talk about last year. He’d like to bury it as a blip in the franchises’s otherwise pristine record in contention years. That team that couldn’t win on the road, struggled to stay above .500 and got knocked out of the playoffs before the Finals for the first time in the Kerr era was just an anomaly.
“We need to leave last year in the rearview mirror,” Kerr said. “We have a decade of experience closing games, winning close games, winning championships. So last year was the exception, this year is the rule.”
Kerr’s annoyance is justified, and his intentions logical; a coach should want to block outside negativity and move on clear-headed. But internally, the Warriors aren’t letting last season slide. They’re using it as inspiration to get their stuff together with an extreme focus on correcting all the mistakes that bogged them down last year.
That means fixating on film to break down every turnover or bad foul on a shooter practices, or over-communicating situations during game stoppages. It means stopping practices when someone is fouled and starting over.
“It’s communication and the accountability part,” Looney said. “Not sweeping stuff under the rug. Last year, coming off a championship, it was more like, we’ll figure it out. But not actually calling out what actually happened. Now everybody is more focused.”
In games, closing games also means that everyone accepts a shifting closing lineup. In recent years, every game would ideally close with with Curry, Klay Thompson, Green, Andrew Wiggins and different fifth guy depending on matchup. Most of their six games have closed with Curry, Thompson and Green since he returned from injury, but the other two spots are flexible and Kerr has been proactive about using stoppages to move pieces around in the waning minutes.
Gary Payton II has closed a handful of games for his lock-down defense on scoring threats such as Malik Monk and ball-handlers such as Josh Giddey. Wiggins — who had a better game on the boards in OKC — has been out of the mix to close some games as he works to get into his rhythm, Moses Moody has been in as a certified shooting threat. Chris Paul is often in the closing minutes, too.
Who closes is mostly based on match-up, but having a merit-based process for who earns closing minutes keeps everyone on their toes.
“They know if they (mess up), they’re probably going to be yanked or be on film,” Looney said. “So when you are held accountable like that from the top — not just the bench guys — Steph, Draymond, Klay, everybody. It trickles down.
“You have to repeat every night and do the small things to stay on the court. We know we have a deep team. Steve is going to put out there so you know if you play well, you do what you’re supposed to do, you have a chance to close, and if you don’t you probably will sit down. That’s probably how it should be, and it’s working out for us.”
The Warriors are 5-1, but they’re not playing their best. Green’s return shored up the defense, but they gave up 139 points caving to the Thunder’s youth and athleticism on the wings. The offense has its trusty fastball with Curry’s hot start and Thompson in a shooting groove and, now, a changeup with Paul methodically leading the second unit. But there’s not a consistent second scorer behind Curry that’s emerged yet.
As Paul pointed out, the Warriors haven’t run some of their offense in-game yet, noting they did a press break offense — something teams can run to counter a full court defense — together for the first time in a recent game.
“I’m a big believer in piling up wins,” Paul said. “We’re still trying to figure out defenses and all this stuff..Certain things we still putting in and figuring it out, but we still want to win games and figure it out at the same time.”
The sample is small. Only the last two of their total five came down to the wire, three were won relatively comfortably behind Curry’s shooting. The Warriors won their fourth road game on Nov. 3 and didn’t win their fourth road game last year until Jan. 13 in Toronto. It all may be in the rearview mirror, but the trouble that caused that is top of mind.