The NBA’s newly introduced “In-Season Tournament” will kick off on Friday. The Golden State Warriors will begin their campaign by going up against the Oklahoma City Thunder for the first of their four tournament clashes. While several analysts believe that no team will push too hard to win this recently launched tournament, Steve Kerr revealed that his team will try their best to lift the trophy. However, the GSW head coach is not going to give his star player – Stephen Curry – prolonged playing time for the same.
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Ahead of the Warriors-Thunder clash, Steve Kerr spoke to Willard & Dibs of 95.7 The Game. During the conversation, Kerr admitted that the Bay Area side was keen on winning the first-ever In Season Tournament.
“We want to win this thing. We’re going for it,” Kerr said.
But, in order to win the inaugural tournament, the 58-year-old was not going to make Steph Curry play for as much as 45 minutes.
“But doesn’t mean I’m playing Steph 45 minutes,” Kerr claimed.
Steve Kerr on the in-season tournament: “We want to win this thing. We’re going for it.”
Kerr added: “But doesn’t mean I’m playing Steph 45 minutes.” 😂
(via @WillardAndDibs)
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) November 2, 2023
Stephen Curry and Draymond Green back themselves to win
Ahead of the NBA’s In-Season Tournament, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green were asked to predict the winners from each of the groups. Despite being grouped with the Sacramento Kings, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the San Antonio Spurs, the four-time Champs backed themselves to emerge victorious.
Steph Curry makes his picks for the NBA In-Season Tournament group stages 👀
Tournament games tip off this Friday on ESPN and the NBA App ‼️ pic.twitter.com/gM5bH009vA
— NBA (@NBA) October 31, 2023
Draymond Green makes his picks for the NBA In-Season Tournament group stages 👀
Tournament games tip off this Friday on ESPN and the NBA App 🍿 pic.twitter.com/D2qfHpiLFy
— NBA (@NBA) November 1, 2023
The GSW-OKC matchup promises to be an exciting one. On one side, the Thunder are a young and energetic bunch. Whereas, the Bay Area side may have less energy but is far more experienced.
To begin the 2023-2024 season, the Warriors are in incredible form. Thanks to the wizardry of Curry with notable contributions from Klay Thompson and Chris Paul, the Warriors are placed 2nd in the West with a 4-1 record.
Mark Daigneault’s boys have also had quite an impressive start to the campaign. Their 3-2 record from the first five games has been quite promising. However, both their losses occurring against Western Conference teams is a matter of concern.
The Warriors have none of their players on the injury report for Friday’s clash. Unfortunately, OKC will be playing with Jaylin Williams and Kenrich Williams. A bigger blow, they will also be taking on the GSW without Shai-Gilgeous Alexander.
