The Golden State Warriors are back in the Playoffs. This is the 7th time Steve Kerr is leading the Dubs into the postseason in his 9-year tenure as the Warriors’ Head Coach. After a rocky season, the Dubs have clawed their way into the playoffs, and all bets are off now.
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They’re facing the Sacramento Kings tonight for Game 1. It’s a big game for the Kings, the first time their home crowd is about to experience the playoff atmosphere after a 16-year drought. At the same time, the Warriors have been here a lot. Having won four championships in the last eight years, Kerr and co. are gunning for their 5th title.
Before the playoffs start, Steve Kerr sat down with Bob Myers for the season finale of Lead By Example. There, the duo discussed being fearless and how he teaches his players that.
Steve Kerr remembers when Michael Jordan asked him to shoot, what he teaches the Warriors
When one talks about fearlessness, they need to mention the game-winner Steve Kerr hit in the 1997 Finals. Game 6, the Bulls were leading 3-2 and were at home. The game was tied at 86 with 28 seconds on the clock. During the timeout, Michael Jordan asked Steve Kerr to stay ready.
MJ passed Kerr the ball with five second to shoot, and he knocked down a 15-footer, helping the Bulls clinch their 5th title in 7 years!
This is one of the most iconic shots in Bulls’ history. When Bob Myers asked Kerr where did he get the confidence for the same, Kerr replied and shared how he wouldn’t have taken the shot a few years ago. However, Phil Jackson‘s team meditation and mindfulness training helped him to gain the confidence.
Bob Myers then asked him how he coaches that kind of ‘f**k it’ mentality to the team. Both of them laughed and Kerr replied saying,
“Honestly, with our team, it’s the other way around. I envy Steph[Stephen Curry] and Klay[Klay Thompson] for their fearlessness. They never stop and think about the repercussions but the flip side of that is, they get wild, Draymond[Draymond Green] too. We’ve always been a high turnover team and we have had to sort of teach the opposite.”
“The trick is not taking away what makes them who they are, you don’t want to take away the Mustang spirit, but can we execute a little better. We always talk about finding the balance between being loose and disciplined.”
“Those guys have obviously found a way. I mean, they’ve won multiple championships!”
Can the Warriors use their fearlessness to win another title?
Facing the Sacramento Kings in the first round is going to be a tough ask for the Golden State Warriors. They both have quite similar play styles, and why wouldn’t they. Coach of the Year nominee Mike Brown joined the Kings after having won three championships with the Dubs in six years.
At the end of the day, as Steve Kerr mentioned, if the Warriors trio, especially the Splash Brothers, find a way to find the balance between loose and disciplined, they’re the clear favorites for this series, and any possible upcoming series.
