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Golden State Warriors: Steve Kerr looking to retake the crown from former right-hand man

By Peter O'Keefe

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 05: Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, with assistant coach Mike Brown behind him, gestures to his team during their game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Chase Center on November 05, 2021 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 05: Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, with assistant coach Mike Brown behind him, gestures to his team during their game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Chase Center on November 05, 2021 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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The Golden State Warriors are set to meet the Sacramento Kings on Sunday for the first time since their Game 7 victory at Golden 1 Center in the first-round of last season’s playoffs.

After nearly two decades in the postseason wilderness, the Kings roared back to life in 2022-23 under the tutelage of long-time Warrior assistant Mike Brown. After six years with Golden State under Steve Kerr, Brown won the head coaching role in Sacramento and immediately took them to a 48-win season after just 30 the year prior.

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has lost the title of the NBA’s best run offense, according to NBA General Managers.

Offense was the key behind the Kings revival, with Brown remarkably lifting the franchise from 24th to first on that end of the floor. With an explosive guard in De’Aaron Fox and a dominant big in Domantas Sabonis, both of whom were named All-Stars in 2023, Sacramento surprised everyone with their rise to the third-seed in the West.

Golden State fans would have been well-acclimatized with the offense they saw from the Kings, with much of Brown’s system derived from the high-ball movement style that was cultivated over years at the Warriors.

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is restrained by Mike Brown after getting a technical during a game against the San Antonio Spurs at AT&T Center on November 2, 2017. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is restrained by Mike Brown after getting a technical during a game against the San Antonio Spurs at AT&T Center on November 2, 2017. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images) /

Yet after an impressive season where Brown was named NBA Coach of the Year, Kerr and the Warriors had the last laugh thanks to a Stephen Curry 50-point masterclass on the road in Game 7.

Sacramento’s season was still enough to have Brown voted as the head coach that ‘runs the best offense’, according to NBA General Managers. His 33% toppled Kerr who sat second at 23%, with the four-time championship-winning coach having held 62% of the vote entering last season.

Golden State have poured in 125 and 129 points in their first two preseason games against the Los Angeles Lakers, suggesting they may be on the way back to their dynamic best. In contrast, Sacramento have averaged just 100 points in back-to-back losses to the Lakers and Toronto Raptors.

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Sunday’s meeting may give another indication on whether Kerr and the Warriors are ready to retake the mantle of the league’s best run offense, or if Brown and the Kings can prove last season was no flash in the pan.

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