Warriors ‘in great hands’ with Mike Brown
Steve Kerr watched the Warriors’ Game 3 win Saturday night with his son, Nick, at their hotel suite in downtown Portland.
After Kerr’s symptoms worsened over the past five days, he announced Sunday that he will miss Game 4 on Monday as he tries to find a solution for his discomfort.
Though he is taking an indefinite hiatus from in-game coaching, Kerr will stay involved with the team by breaking down video, chatting with players and advising Brown.
In the regular season, as the Warriors became the first team in NBA history to win at least 65 games for a third straight year, Kerr endured intense migraines and searing pain behind his eyes.
Outside of missing a morning shootaround March 2 in Chicago with a stomach bug, he attended every practice or game.
Kerr has dealt with severe head and neck pain in recent days, according to a source.
On Saturday afternoon, roughly four hours after Kerr was absent from the shootaround, the team announced that he would miss Game 3.
“With things getting worse, I just made the decision I couldn’t coach,” said Kerr, who attended Golden State’s voluntary workout Sunday morning.
If I can get some improvement, I’ll get back on the sidelines.
Knowing that he has a capable fill-in helps ease the sting of stepping away from in-game coaching.
Kerr hired Brown in July to replace Luke Walton as his lead assistant, in part because Brown could serve as interim head coach if necessary.
Brown’s resume includes stints leading the Cavaliers (2005-10, 2013-14) and Lakers (2011-12).
During those stops, he coached in 83 playoff games, including four in the 2007 NBA Finals in which the Cavs were swept by San Antonio.
In 2009, after guiding Cleveland to 66 regular-season wins, Brown was named NBA Coach of the Year.
Only hours after learning he would step in for Kerr, Brown was tasked with shepherding a Kevin Durant-less Warriors team in front of a raucous Moda Center crowd.
The desperate Blazers, down 2-0 in the series, had center Jusuf Nurkic in the lineup for the first time since March 30.
The high-octane, attacking lineup sparked the Warriors’ game-changing comeback.
To make decisions like that, in a hostile environment, about to lose Game 3, that’s pretty big time.
During a team meeting Saturday morning, Kerr told his players not to make the game about his situation.
After the final buzzer sounded on Golden State’s Game 3 victory, the two-time reigning MVP grabbed the game ball to hand to Kerr.
Moments later, Curry told ESPN’s J.A. Adande, “We felt that the way the game had gone, we had to fight and do it for Coach.”
Connor Letourneau is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.
Record: 347-216 regular season, 47-36 playoffs
Cavaliers (2005-10, 2013-14): Amassed a 305-187 record, taking the LeBron James-led team to the playoffs each season in his first five-year stint.
The Cavs made it to the 2007 NBA Finals, where they were swept by the Spurs.
Lakers (2011-12): Went 42-29, coaching the Kobe Bryant-led Lakers to the second round of the playoffs in his first season before being fired five games (1-4) into his second.
Warriors lead series 3-0
Warriors 110, Blazers 81
Warriors 119, Blazers 113
at Oracle Arena, TBA*
at Oracle Arena, TBA*