The Golden State Warriors have been to three straight Finals and are widely expected to reach their fourth this season, but the grind of playing that many games over a short period has historically been difficult for great teams in NBA history.
The Chicago Bulls in the nineties won six titles but Michael Jordan took a break to play baseball. The Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant Los Angeles Lakers began to fall apart after winning three in a row.
"In [1997] with the Bulls, we started off 8-7 ... and we were having all these team meetings," Kerr said. "[This] feels exactly the same. The fatigue, the emotional and spiritual fatigue that sets in when you've been going to the Finals.
"That's why LeBron [James] going to the Finals seven years in a row, to me, is one of the most amazing accomplishments ever for a player in this league."
The Warriors are currently 5-3 and haven't looked as sharp as they have in the past.
"I want to snap. I'm competitive. I want to win every game," Kerr said. "But I recognize, especially having been in their shoes, literally, with that Bulls team. I recognize that we're gonna be fine. I know we're gonna be fine.
"If you're a yoga person, you talk about prana. This life force in you," Kerr said. "Each team has its own personality.
"We have to get there. And I can't force that. As a coach, it's my job to recognize that and adapt to that and try to guide us and navigate us. I can tell you this year is gonna be a lot harder than that first year."
The Warriors won the title in Kerr's first season with the team.
