Steve Kerr responds to Kevin Durant's comments about Warriors' offense

[LKN]

One thing that gets swept aside when talking about the Warriors post season offense is that Curry is often allowed to be mauled off the ball almost constantly. I'm not a GS fan or anything - just something I noticed.

Now, given that the Warriors can often counteract this by using moving screens all game without getting called maybe it comes out in the wash... but it's very noticeable in some series how much the refs let guys foul Curry without calling it.

[ProspectPark]

One thing that gets swept aside when talking about the Warriors post season offense is that Curry is often allowed to be mauled off the ball almost constantly. I'm not a GS fan or anything - just something I noticed.

Now, given that the Warriors can often counteract this by using moving screens all game without getting called maybe it comes out in the wash... but it's very noticeable in some series how much the refs let guys foul Curry without calling it.

I’ve noticed that too. Especially in that game when Curry threw his mouth piece at a fan.

But so does every other superstar.

This is why you need an elite ISO scorer. If you’re the Warriors, you don’t want Curry running around screens getting bumped and elbowed for 48 minutes.

[Ainosterhaspie]

One thing that gets swept aside when talking about the Warriors post season offense is that Curry is often allowed to be mauled off the ball almost constantly. I'm not a GS fan or anything - just something I noticed.

Now, given that the Warriors can often counteract this by using moving screens all game without getting called maybe it comes out in the wash... but it's very noticeable in some series how much the refs let guys foul Curry without calling it.

But the internet told me you can't play physical d anymore.

[LKN]

One thing that gets swept aside when talking about the Warriors post season offense is that Curry is often allowed to be mauled off the ball almost constantly. I'm not a GS fan or anything - just something I noticed.

Now, given that the Warriors can often counteract this by using moving screens all game without getting called maybe it comes out in the wash... but it's very noticeable in some series how much the refs let guys foul Curry without calling it.

But the internet told me you can't play physical d anymore.

Funny you say that.... you can't touch guys when they have the ball anymore half the time... but if they are off the ball? It's like the refs don't even watch what is going on sometimes.


Heck, maybe curry now makes up for the off ball mauling by kicking his foot out on 3s

[ProspectPark]

“I wasn’t at all offended by what Kevin said because it’s basically the truth,” Kerr told Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “You look at any system, I mean, I played the triangle with Michael Jordan. The offense ran a lot smoother all regular season and the first couple rounds of the playoffs than it did in the conference finals and Finals. It just did.

"That’s why guys like Michael Jordan and Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant are who they are. They can transcend any defense. But defenses in the playoffs, deep in the playoffs, combined with the physicality of the game — where refs can’t possibly call a foul every time — means that superstars have to take over.

"No system is just going to dice a Finals defense up. You have to rely on individual play. I didn’t look at (his comment) as offensive. I look at that as fact.”

https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/warriors/steve-kerr-responds-kevin-durants-comments-about-warriors-offense

This is painfully obvious to anyone that knows basketball.
The people that bagged KD out for his comments were from 1 of 2 positions. They either 1) don't know basketball or 2) hate KD and will make anything he says out to be bad.
It's as simply as that.

That’s why so many athletes rarely give interviews and when they do, they give the most generic robotic answers.

[Ainosterhaspie]

The Warriors obliterated the Cavaliers and the series wasn't close. The 2017 team was worse than 2016, and it's just KD stanning to suggest otherwise. The only thing to go on is the 2017 team beating down a sad sack East, but that doesn't make them better. LeBron was worse - he couldn't recapture his offensive and defensive dominance - and most of the role players fell off too.

Are you aware that the "sad sack East" got more wins in the 2017 playoffs against the Warriors than the entire West combined? While the 2016 Warriors had some struggles in the early rounds, the 2017 Warriors didn't lose a game until the finals.

[Wooderson]

The funny thing is the Warriors absolutely did dice up the Cavs D in 2017 and 2018 because their defense stunk.

[LKN]

The funny thing is the Warriors absolutely did dice up the Cavs D in 2017 and 2018 because their defense stunk.

As a tangent.. I still think it was a mistake for the Cavs to try and "out Warrior the Warriors". Yes, they did get the one title (and who knows if they would have gotten more anyways)... but I think they would have been better off building a more defensive oriented team and slowing the game down. That style did seem to frustrate the Warriors some times.

Notice that the only year those Cavs won the title was the one year they had a respectable defense.

Cavs ORTG/DRTG

2015 - 3rd / 18th
2016 - 3rd / 10th
2017 - 3rd / 21st
2018 - 5th / 29th

I don't think anyone should be surprised that the only year they won it all was the one year they had a top 10 defense.

[XxIronChainzxX]

The Warriors obliterated the Cavaliers and the series wasn't close. The 2017 team was worse than 2016, and it's just KD stanning to suggest otherwise. The only thing to go on is the 2017 team beating down a sad sack East, but that doesn't make them better. LeBron was worse - he couldn't recapture his offensive and defensive dominance - and most of the role players fell off too.

Are you aware that the "sad sack East" got more wins in the 2017 playoffs against the Warriors than the entire West combined? While the 2016 Warriors had some struggles in the early rounds, the 2017 Warriors didn't lose a game until the finals.

The sad sack East didn't get more wins. Cleveland got one win. That doesn't mean the East is better than the West or competitive, and the Warriors didn't play anyone on their level in the West once Kawhi went down. I think they clearly win that series but it probably takes them 5-6 games.

Once you get past Cleveland and the Warriors, then the next best team is a healthy San Antonio. Who else do you pick after that? The Celtics without Kyrie? The DeRozan / Lowry Raptors? Or teams like Houston, who won 55 games?

[Ainosterhaspie]

Can you count? The East won 1 game against the Warriors. The West combined won 0. 1>0. You are wrong.

[LKN]

The Warriors obliterated the Cavaliers and the series wasn't close. The 2017 team was worse than 2016, and it's just KD stanning to suggest otherwise. The only thing to go on is the 2017 team beating down a sad sack East, but that doesn't make them better. LeBron was worse - he couldn't recapture his offensive and defensive dominance - and most of the role players fell off too.

Are you aware that the "sad sack East" got more wins in the 2017 playoffs against the Warriors than the entire West combined? While the 2016 Warriors had some struggles in the early rounds, the 2017 Warriors didn't lose a game until the finals.

2017 wasn't just about the Warriors being an ATG team. They didn't have much top level competition in EITHER conference. There was only one other team (the Spurs) that was top 10 in both ORTG and DRTG (and they also had a superstar which helps). If Kawhi hadn't gotten injured I'm fairly sure the Spurs would have won at least a game or two off the Warriors (I do think they probably would have lost the series though)

The Warriors were 1st in ORTG and 2nd in DRTG
The Spurs were 9th in ORTG and 1st in DRTG
The Rockets were 2nd in ORTG and 18th in DRTG
The Jazz were 12th in ORTG and 3rd in DRTG
The Cavs were 3rd in ORTG and 21st in DRTG
The Raptors were 6th in ORTG and 11th in DRTG
The Celtics were 8th in ORTG and 13th in DRTG
etc, etc

Personally I think the Spurs were the only team that had any real shot (and even that shot was a smaller one) to upset the Warriors that year and that went down the drain as soon as Kawhi got hurt.

[LKN]

Warriors won 4-1 and 4-0...it's not like if he missed those shots the series would have changed, lol.

Those shots are overrated as hell...he misses them and the Warriors probably win 4-2 and 4-1 instead.

Ridiculous.

The dude cheated his way to two titles.

Not taking away from the fact that he's a great player, but KD benefited from the fact that he rarely got double teamed playing for GSW.

Let's not go into this again.

If it was so easy, then Harrison Barnes (a guy who 2 teams gave not so insignificant contracts to) would've closed the deal in 2016 and we wouldn't be having this conversation to begin with. Evidently, it's not as easy as some people think.

If you'll remember in 2017, if he missed that shot, the likely outcome would be that the series would go back to Oakland tied 2-2. The Cavs outplayed the Warriors for most of Game 3, all of Game 4, and for most of the first 2 quarters of Game 5. The series was much closer than people think.

That was a better Cavs team in 2017 than in 2016. Anyone who think the Warriors would've won in 2017 with Harrison Barnes in KD's place are pretty much on something.

This is revisionist nonsense. It's like saying LeBron's humiliating beatdown vs. the Spurs was close because when he got swept the last 2 home games were decided by 3 points total.

The Warriors obliterated the Cavaliers and the series wasn't close. The 2017 team was worse than 2016, and it's just KD stanning to suggest otherwise. The only thing to go on is the 2017 team beating down a sad sack East, but that doesn't make them better. LeBron was worse - he couldn't recapture his offensive and defensive dominance - and most of the role players fell off too.

Put simpler - the Cavs defense fell off a cliff in 2017.

2016 they were 10th in DRTG
2017 they were 21st in DRTG

[Plutonashfan]

I'm talking about the 2007 NBA finals, and I was wrong. It was 4 points. The Spurs won game 3 75-72, and game 4 83-82. That series wasn't close.

I'm not going to dignify this nonsense further. If you think 2017 was close, that's a hill you're free to die on. But here's a counterexample: the Blazers led the Warriors multiple times before getting obliterated 4-0. The Pacers played the Cavaliers extremely close in 2017, and they got swept.

Sometimes, games are close. Doesn't mean they're actually competitive. But as I said, you feel free to die on this hill.

Nonsense? I never said the 2017 Finals was the ultimate nail biter, but the series was closer than most people think, and that a lesser player in KD's place (like a Harrison Barnes) would've resulted in a Cavs title (which is the main point).

The Cavs would've won against a KD-less Warrior team by simply having 2 of the 3 best players in the series.

I don't understand how he doesn't get that?

[Plutonashfan]

I'm talking about the 2007 NBA finals, and I was wrong. It was 4 points. The Spurs won game 3 75-72, and game 4 83-82. That series wasn't close.

I'm not going to dignify this nonsense further. If you think 2017 was close, that's a hill you're free to die on. But here's a counterexample: the Blazers led the Warriors multiple times before getting obliterated 4-0. The Pacers played the Cavaliers extremely close in 2017, and they got swept.

Sometimes, games are close. Doesn't mean they're actually competitive. But as I said, you feel free to die on this hill.

Nonsense? I never said the 2017 Finals was the ultimate nail biter, but the series was closer than most people think, and that a lesser player in KD's place (like a Harrison Barnes) would've resulted in a Cavs title (which is the main point).

The Cavs would've won against a KD-less Warrior team by simply having 2 of the 3 best players in the series.

I don't understand how he doesn't get that?

[Warriorfan]

Good coaches make the finals. They have time to prepare for good systems plus multiple games against the same team aids player D as well

[cupcakesnake]

"No system is just going to dice a Finals defense up. You have to rely on individual play. I didn’t look at (his comment) as offensive. I look at that as fact.”

Unless you're the 2014 Spurs against that Miami defense.

[Dominator83]

The Warriors obliterated the Cavaliers and the series wasn't close. The 2017 team was worse than 2016, and it's just KD stanning to suggest otherwise. The only thing to go on is the 2017 team beating down a sad sack East, but that doesn't make them better. LeBron was worse - he couldn't recapture his offensive and defensive dominance - and most of the role players fell off too.

Are you aware that the "sad sack East" got more wins in the 2017 playoffs against the Warriors than the entire West combined? While the 2016 Warriors had some struggles in the early rounds, the 2017 Warriors didn't lose a game until the finals.

The sad sack East didn't get more wins. Cleveland got one win. That doesn't mean the East is better than the West or competitive, and the Warriors didn't play anyone on their level in the West once Kawhi went down. I think they clearly win that series but it probably takes them 5-6 games.

Once you get past Cleveland and the Warriors, then the next best team is a healthy San Antonio. Who else do you pick after that? The Celtics without Kyrie? The DeRozan / Lowry Raptors? Or teams like Houston, who won 55 games?

Yea that was probably the most boring season in NBA history for 28 fanbases

[Mylie10]

“I wasn’t at all offended by what Kevin said because it’s basically the truth,” Kerr told Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “You look at any system, I mean, I played the triangle with Michael Jordan. The offense ran a lot smoother all regular season and the first couple rounds of the playoffs than it did in the conference finals and Finals. It just did.

"That’s why guys like Michael Jordan and Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant are who they are. They can transcend any defense. But defenses in the playoffs, deep in the playoffs, combined with the physicality of the game — where refs can’t possibly call a foul every time — means that superstars have to take over.

"No system is just going to dice a Finals defense up. You have to rely on individual play. I didn’t look at (his comment) as offensive. I look at that as fact.”

https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/warriors/steve-kerr-responds-kevin-durants-comments-about-warriors-offense

Steve Kerr is the Mr. Miyagi of Coaches