“I lied.”
Steve Kerr sat in front of the world, rather pleased with himself, and admitted to lying. Now, time for some context! This wasn’t some Belichick-ian press conference (and yes, I did make that word up). Kerr was merely admitting what we all already knew: Andre Iguodala started Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
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He told the media that he had three options. When asked about the starting lineup leading up to Game 4, Kerr could have told the truth which he said was like knocking on David Blatt’s door and giving him a heads up. He could have evaded the question which would have caused a “Twitter phenomenon.” Or he could have lied.
Right before the tip-off, Kerr inserted Iguodala into the starting lineup in favor Andrew Bogut. Warriors fans everywhere, including myself, speculated whether or not the All-Star forward should start. However, few expected Kerr to take out his center.
I loved Steve Kerr lying yesterday. I'll say it again: We all have our roles to play in this game. He played his perfectly. #Warriors
— Mike Greenberg (@Espngreeny) June 12, 2015
Kerr coached his team to make certain adjustments (double team LeBron James, play David Lee, etc.). The whole year Kerr has been making the right calls. And that’s what turned him into the winningest rookie coach in NBA history. That’s what made him a Western Conference champion.
The thing with Kerr that makes him so special, especially compared to what the Warriors previously saw, is that he’s so candid and honest. Kerr could have just stopped at admitting he lied and that would have been good enough. He could have taken the credit. But he didn’t because that’s not who Kerr is.
The first year coach revealed that the idea wasn’t his. The Warriors’ video coordinator Nick U’ren came up with the idea late at night while watching film. It was a crazy idea, but was it really? The Spurs went small against the LeBron James-led Heat. He told assistant coach Luke Walton who loved the idea. And at 3 a.m., he texted Kerr the plan.
Kerr met with his staff and they made the decision to start Iguodala. They wanted to slow down James and jumpstart the offense by spreading the floor and pushing the ball. They’d give up size and lose the rebound battle, but who cares? They can win every other aspect.
That’s what makes Kerr special. He’s the head coach for an NBA Finals team, but he’s listening to and giving credit to a 28 year old video coordinator and a first year assistant coach. Through the first three games, experts concluded that Blatt was out coaching Kerr. That for every decision he made, there was nothing Kerr could do to counter. That the greatness of LeBron James and the sudden rise of Matthew Dellavedova was too much for the rookie coach.
The idea was crazy. The Twitterverse was in shock. “He’s desperate. He’s making a mistake. He’s inexperienced.”
Well, it worked. And Kerr’s deflecting praise. That’s what makes him special.