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00:00hey coach how you doing i'm doing great how are you guys we are fantastic congratulations i i know
00:07after your career maybe maybe that sounds funny to congratulate you just on making the playoffs
00:12but it it feels appropriate this week trust me i am thrilled and i will gladly accept your
00:20congratulations so thank you perfect and and you said you indicated uh after it became a reality
00:27that yesterday was going to be an example of one of your favorite days of the year when you got to
00:34just dive into getting ready for a playoff series so so why do you feel that way and how did it go
00:40well because uh for 82 games you you basically are um an aau coach i mean you're just showing up to the
00:49gym and playing games and obviously i'm exaggerating a little bit but we just hardly ever have time to
00:56actually prepare for an opponent and we play every other day for five months and the players are
01:03exhausted from the travel and uh you get to the playoffs it's an entirely different operation
01:09entirely different exercise um you get to put in uh a lot of practice time film sessions game planning
01:17um it's just um it's so much fun and it kind of makes the whole regular season worthwhile and you
01:24finally get to really delve into your opponent and and put together a game plan deep dive on one team
01:31as opposed to you know worrying about three and four nights so what has today been like and what's the
01:36plan for tomorrow and saturday and then the lead up to game one on sunday yeah so we uh the staff
01:43met um yesterday and then all day today we just finished a walkthrough and a film session
01:50with our players where we uh presented the game plan the matchups um everything we're trying to
01:56accomplish in this series you know against houston and um the guys were really attentive and excited
02:04and uh and we walked through a few things on the court but i felt it was really important to give them
02:10two full days off uh from any real practice time and uh so so we didn't practice well our first real
02:18practice will be tomorrow some of the guys got on the court today and and got shots up and you know
02:23got uh got a workout in but um this has been just a a fantastic two days you know for the staff to
02:30prepare and for the players to finally get their feet on the ground it just feels like the last three
02:36weeks have been insane even by nba standards i i don't think we've been able to to rest for about
02:42three weeks and be in the same city for one time and uh so i think our guys are really gonna feel
02:48rejuvenated see steve i find that fascinating because now that now that it's a reality now that
02:53you don't have to play tomorrow night i wonder if you can speak a little bit more freely about this
02:58because i certainly felt like if you didn't win tuesday a scenario was being set up that was going to
03:05be kind of preventative for you guys because of what you just talked about like like can you speak
03:11now on like how vital was this rest yeah that game was huge you know to to beat memphis and to get
03:19this four days uh i think uh gives us such a better opportunity to win and advance in the playoffs and
03:27make a run i just feel like uh you know had we uh had we lost that game we were playing tomorrow
03:32uh you know maybe uh won the game and then flown to oklahoma city i mean i i was half joking you
03:42know the other day i said to my staff i i'm just gonna rest our entire starting five for game one
03:46i'm sure i'll get fined by the league but we're not we're not doing this i'll just rest and we'll try
03:52to beat them four out of six with four days rest or three days rest so it was uh it was a daunting
03:59daunting schedule and uh that's what made that memphis game uh so enormous and it kind of came on the
04:06back of the clipper game where you talked about how great you played and i agree that was just a
04:11high level nba game and you were able to back it up against memphis what did you like that you saw
04:16against grizzlies where you had to come back two days later in a gut check spot against a team that
04:21was equally hungry well i just loved how locked in we were with the ball we had i think we had 10 or
04:2711 turnovers for the game uh you know it wasn't our best game but we were we were dialed in uh game
04:34plan wise um we we missed a lot of shots which is going to happen but you know one of the things we
04:40preach all season long is uh you can still win games when you don't make shots if you take
04:46care of the details and i thought for the most part we took care of the details i thought memphis
04:51played at a really high level particularly after you know we got up 20 they they made a great run
04:56and uh we were uh we were able to gut it out and that's um you know that's kind of what the playoffs
05:02are all about steve kerr with us willard and dibs steve i i we know the rules when you're about
05:07to play an opponent a coach only says wonderful things about the opponent and how dangerous they are
05:12and all those things and and it's not that that's not true but i do wonder your perspective on what
05:19kind of a weapon your team's brains are in this series with so much experience versus a team that's
05:27so young yeah i mean i feel that way regardless of our opponent i just think the uh the brain power
05:34um the experience the corporate knowledge whatever you want to call it of uh steve dre loon uh jimmy
05:43obviously has been you know deep deep in the playoffs two finals trips um carrying his team
05:48his miami teams there uh i feel like uh we have uh everything we need uh to to go and win this first
05:57round series we have the talent we have the experience uh but we know uh how good houston is we they just
06:04came to our place last week and and beat us and uh so we've got a lot of respect for them and and uh
06:10we know we're gonna have to play well to win speaking of playoff jimmy um is this is this kind
06:16of what you expected and and and are you guys looking to employ a quote-unquote more aggressive
06:23jimmy butler as you move into the postseason i don't we don't employ uh playoff jimmy playoff jimmy
06:32uh shows up on his own and uh you know he reminds me so much of andre iguodala from a personality
06:39standpoint he almost doesn't even really want to score you know like andre always loved the nuances
06:45of the game he loved getting other people open he loved manipulating the defense i feel the same way
06:51about jimmy like he he really loves the game and he loves the chess match uh but he really you know he
06:58he's much better scorer than andre obviously much more capable of getting to the line and
07:02and taking over a game in that regard but there's a similar mentality in terms of i'm just going to do
07:08whatever it takes to win tonight and i'd rather pass the ball to my teammates than shoot and uh so it's
07:15a really a beautiful mentality one that uh his teammates love because you know they love getting
07:21getting his passes for jump shots and they also love seeing him take over and get to the line five
07:27straight times down the stretch how important is that latter part going up against houston and we saw
07:33him in the last matchup they harassed steph they held him they hugged him they caressed him how important
07:38is it to have jimmy butler be playoff jimmy and be aggressive getting to the basketball or the basket
07:44rather if houston's gonna guard steph the same way yeah i mean it's it's a huge um dynamic for
07:51us that's that's really brand new i mean even when we had kevin durant you know kevin wasn't a guy who
07:56got to the foul line a ton um you know he was obviously a guy who scored a ton but it was more
08:04you know just his incredible um you know jump shooting and ability to free himself up uh but
08:11it's a similar dynamic that we had with kevin in terms of you know having two guys who can can really
08:17take over a game uh when the defense is at its best and uh and i think you know my experience is um
08:25you know over the years it's it's it's kind of what every championship is aspiring team needs you
08:32you can't rely on one guy you can't rely on uh you know offensive execution to get you open with
08:38two minutes left in game seven of a of a series you you got to rely on a person you got to rely on a
08:45star and um and that's what jimmy gives us i thought the other night was a great example of
08:50that he carried us the first three quarters and and steph carried us the fourth steve kerr with us
08:56uh every week on willard and dibs 95 7 the game and now as we get ready for game one on sunday
09:02between the rockets and the warriors as the playoffs begin uh steve just as a an observer and a fan of the
09:09warriors i will always have some feelings come up when when dylan brooks and the playoffs happen
09:16what are your feelings i uh i i've i've let that stuff go i mean you know in the in the heat of the
09:24moment you know a few years ago um when when he uh clotheslined gary you know yeah i he was not my
09:33favorite guy you know that was uh that was a cheap shot you know i think i said he broke the code i still
09:39feel that way um but i have a lot of respect uh for for brooks he's uh he's a hell of a player
09:45uh he's really shooting the ball well he's at 39 this year he's their best three-point shooter
09:50he's put together a really good career he's a fierce competitor so i have a lot of respect for him and
09:57um you know it's going to be fun to compete against him and he's just one member of a rocket team that
10:02by my eyes pretty physical they're a good defensive team they're athletic and they're the top
10:07rebounding team in the association how do you get your team to match their physicality and be able
10:13to you know keep it not only between the lines but be able to still play your game while matching them
10:18in a physical standpoint yeah i mean that's that's a big part of the challenge is um you know not only
10:24you know making sure we are putting every effort into getting every loose ball every long rebound
10:30you know hitting bodies uh boxing out but also maintaining our poise and our composure
10:36uh when the game gets physical and and when things aren't going our way and that's again that's a
10:42a big part of of playoff basketball every year but particularly against the more physical teams
10:48coach um i know you're fully aware of this it's an interesting dynamic that has kind of developed you
10:54guys have achieved this and people are very very excited about warrior basketball at the same time
10:59it has become a very large story and something that our listeners uh just just keep on wanting to
11:06know about and keep talking about and that is the the jonathan kaminga situation so what is your
11:12perspective what how do how do you kind of take that that that this this playoff run has happened
11:19yet the jonathan kaminga story continues to be uh kind of kind of bandied about by by the fans
11:27uh it's it's all part of the job i mean i i got no problem with it um you know you know mostly i feel
11:35for uh for jk because i i i like him and he's been here four years and and uh he's a talented guy and
11:43um you know sometimes things uh go in a different direction um and what i think what happened here
11:50is you know it's pretty obvious i've talked about it but jimmy butler came in and when when jk was
11:56out we traded for jimmy and they played the same position and our whole team changed we became
12:02uh an iso team with jimmy you know the movement of steph iso with jimmy and jimmy's one of the best
12:09players in the league so it's not as simple as just saying oh okay we'll just you know we'll we'll play
12:15them together it doesn't basketball doesn't work that way um the puzzle has to fit we found you know
12:22a a really good formula uh when jk was injured j and and we got jimmy i think we went 18 and two or
12:29something right away and so we found we found lineup combinations that have clicked and we're winning and
12:36we have to stick with that and it's um it's brutal for jk it really is he's a young player who wants to
12:42play and he's absolutely talented enough to play um and he still may be a part of the equation in this
12:49series and and you know the next series after that and and after that so we we we just have to
12:55keep plugging away and keep moving forward and um and he's doing a good job of that but i i definitely
13:02feel for him i i gotta think that this brings out other aspects of you as a coach right there as you
13:08said you get to do x's and o's now but how do you uh kind of on the side handle a young player that
13:15is going through a frustrating situation well i think i i try to communicate with with all my guys
13:23constantly um you know just checking in with different guys and at different times and and
13:29then you have to be careful not to overdo it too you know and sometimes you have to give give a guy
13:33space and and uh but we have a great staff we uh jk has a lot of support um you know in the locker
13:40room all his teammates like him and and coaches like him and and so you just um you know you just
13:46support him and and remind him to to stay ready because things can can change uh you know in a
13:53heartbeat and how has he been handling this because it's like mark was saying it's difficult for a 22
13:58year old and you know from the outside we can't really see and you try to read body language but i just
14:02wonder how jk is reacting and handling it when he finds out that he's probably not going to be in the
14:08rotation he's handling it well he's he's you know he's coming in he came in yesterday and and
14:13scrimmaged you know with the low minute guys who's who scrimmage routinely um you know so he's staying
14:20ready uh he's keeping a positive attitude and uh like i said i'd be surprised if he didn't find his way
14:27you know back out there um just from what i know of you know my experience with the playoffs how things
14:33work um but again you know i i have to read what we need i have to read you know who's playing well
14:40together and to be very frank uh the jimmy uh jk combination um has not been great and and that's
14:49the uh that's the tricky part here and uh you know i'm playing jimmy 40 minutes a night because jimmy is
14:55uh he's one of the very best players and in the league and there's a reason we're we're here and
15:01we're in the seventh seed and we're you know we won whatever it was 24 of our last 30 games and uh
15:08the reason is jimmy uh and so it's my job as a coach to uh to keep uh the team on a path that i think
15:16gives us the best chance to win and and for now that's um that's what i've been you know that's
15:22that's why i've been leaning into the lineup so that i have yeah steve i i think the clarity of that
15:26is going to be really helpful to people there there is the comment out there that from matchup
15:31to matchup like youth and athleticism and length is like something people want to talk about a lot
15:37with houston and that kind of describes jonathan so does this matchup lean maybe a little bit more
15:43in his direction he's played very well against houston for sure um and so that's a positive sign he
15:49is not uh you know it's not been a great combination with uh with jimmy and draymond you
15:56know part of the part of the reason that it's tough to play jimmy and draymond is that you need a center
16:02with them now maybe the combo is quentin post with jimmy and and uh and jk and so that's a combo that may
16:11work that we make we may lean into but obviously draymond green is draymond green he's going to play
16:16big minutes as well and uh but you know when you when you play against length and athleticism
16:23uh like houston has you need spacing you desperately need to space the floor otherwise you got you know
16:31five monster athletes sitting in the paint and it doesn't matter um there's no driving lanes for for jk
16:38or jimmy if if there's no spacing and and so these are all the the nuances that go into this
16:44and uh you know it's just it's tough it's not fantasy basketball it's it's not as simple as saying
16:51you know hey this guy averages so many points you just put him out there the combinations have to fit
16:57the flow has to be right and these are the things that we have to decipher as a staff you mentioned
17:02quentin post and he's a rookie but he's 25 and i i can't help but watch him and mark and i were
17:08joking earlier about the flexing and the gesturing and the uh the facial expressions can you remember
17:14a rookie who has played with as much just joyful moxie and scowl as quentin post when he hits a
17:20three yeah quentin's been awesome um you know 25 year old rookie he's kind of old school in that regard
17:28you know a rookie like like 20 years ago somebody who actually is you know ready for the nba in year
17:35one because of you know five years of college um and he's fearless uh you can see how much confidence
17:42he has in his shot um he's he's been the the pick and pop big that we've needed for years
17:47and uh you can see you know again and then this um probably relates to jk as well um we play we play jimmy
17:58and and draymond with the second group without steph and we have a shooter out there the whole
18:04world opens up um for jimmy and so that's how he's getting to the rim and that's how he's getting
18:09you know getting fouled and and that is so this is uh this is what quentin post has added to our team
18:15and he's been a godsend steve kerr with us here on wither and dibs 95 7 the game coach have you
18:21reflected at all for a moment that you steph and draymond are playing the rockets again in the
18:26yet they are completely new generation of the team and yet here you three still sit uh i really
18:36haven't reflected on on those houston series because uh you know literally every player on
18:42the opponent is different um the longevity uh is something i i'm very proud of the fact that
18:50that uh steph and dray and and loon and i are all still here and my staff so many of my
18:56staff members um i think we first met houston in the 2015 playoffs if i'm not mistaken and we've had
19:05uh i think four four series since or or you know three cents four total that's a pretty incredible
19:12uh stat you know in the modern nba for all of us to still be at it so i'm very proud of them
19:19it's funny because you made reference earlier to an aau team and all of this rockets team they were
19:25aau players when you took on the rockets back they might not have even been old enough to be
19:31aau players and i just wonder about mark asked you earlier about the experience and you know the
19:37intelligence that your team has how much is it going to be a challenge to offset the youth especially
19:44as a series maybe gets longer does that give a younger team a certain advantage when they're
19:49able to play their way into experience and play deeper into a series uh i i don't know i mean what
19:57i like about the playoffs where we are right now is that um you have built-in rest unlike the regular
20:02season um you have days in between games even if it's just um one day in between generally you're
20:10staying in that city um there's very few playoff games where you feel like the schedule
20:16it you know is a problem and the regular season you face that all the time and that's where i think
20:22the youth and energy um of a team like houston actually is an advantage i think in the playoffs i
20:29just don't feel like there's an advantage all right coach well congrats again and and also uh jimmy
20:35butler i know said when he's got a nice little break like this he leans into dominoes and coffee
20:40uh what what do you lean into when you get this little break oh man uh just being at home uh with
20:48my dog my wife um cooking dinner you know watching a show um these nights off at home in the nba are
20:56are golden i mean you really do have to to just rejuvenate fill up the cup and uh so nothing special
21:03for me just being at home did you do seafood stir fry again you know my daughter cooked for us last
21:10night uh which was awesome we went to her house she lives about a mile from us and and uh so family
21:16time is uh is the key so she she's a great cook that was we had a really nice dinner did you get
21:22through white lotus yet steve and if so what are you on to now yeah i watched it uh finished it up
21:29uh totally entertaining love that show and uh what am i on now um i don't know we watched a movie the
21:37other night uh the brutalist um yeah i don't know if you've seen it uh but um yeah it was like long it
21:45was a long long movie it was two nights we we took two nights to watch it wasn't it wasn't about your
21:52play and experience before tuesday was it exactly okay exactly all right so what's our next show what
21:57what should we be watching what are you guys watching oh i mean i'd have to uh ask the wife
22:03she watches a lot of that uh the trash tv i'm watching you guys and she's watching the real house
22:08wives and fill in the blank so yeah it's probably on the off nights i guess you're watching uh you're
22:13watching other games too like i am for sure for sure and bill bill burr has a new comedy special on
22:20hulu that i highly recommend steve all right i'll check that out thank you check it out for for guys
22:25our age it's not so bad hey hey coach thanks here we go playoff basketball we're excited congrats
22:30again all right thanks guys take care