Steve Kerr admits home loss to Phoenix left Golden State shook
The Golden State Warriors lost to the Suns at home by four points a few games ago, and Steve Kerr amidst the team had a reality check following the loss.
There was no good excuse that a full-strength Golden State Warriors’ squad would lose to the last team in the Western Conference. To make matters worse, they lost a home, a fact that made the loss single even more.
However, it woke the team up. The team won their next two games. Those two games were against the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder, two teams that are both significantly better than the Suns.
The Rockets and Thunder are both championship-level teams. They are two of the league’s most tenacious opponents, and Golden State beat them by a combined 24 points, including a brutal 22-point beatdown of OKC.
The Golden State Warriors head coach admitted that the loss to Phoenix was exactly what the team may’ve needed. ESPN’s Nick Friedell caught up with coach Kerr to talk about the loss.
"I think the loss to Phoenix opened our eyes a little bit,” Kerr said after the Warriors finished off a 110-88 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night. “And I think our guys just felt threatened on the road. We’ve played two great teams, we’ve got another one, maybe the hottest team in the league in San Antonio coming up, so anytime they’re threatened, I think our guys tend to play better.”"
He’s absolutely right as well. The team got too casual with their play. They were 4-6 since the All-Star break, and for a team with their level of star power, that type of play is just unacceptable. Kerr probably didn’t have to tell them that either.
The Warriors knew that they had something to prove against Houston. Coming into their two games against Houston and OKC, they were a combined 1-4 against the two Western Conference powerhouses.
During this two-game stint, the Dubs are averaging 108 points per game while their opponent has averaged just 96. This team has the ability to shut a high-caliber offense down, and they proved that over the past week.
However, they must continue to prove that they can do it when it counts. At the same time, they’ll also get to return arguably the best basketball player in the world in Kevin Durant, so expect them to elevate their game to yet another level.