OAKLAND, California – Even though he hasn’t been in his usual spot on the bench, ailing coach Steve Kerr has contributed plenty to Golden State’s record start.
On Tuesday night, his defending champion Warriors routed the Los Angeles Lakers, 111-77, to become the first team in NBA history to begin a season 16-0. Hours earlier, Kerr offered his thoughts – then spent the game behind the scenes still recovering from a pair of back operations as interim coach Luke Walton led the squad to its latest win.
It hasn’t been easy to be away as he heals. Kerr’s message focused on Golden State’s core values:
Joy. Mindfulness. Compassion. Competition.
“He just reminded everybody, he put them up on the white board before we started shootaround and he reminded the guys what those values were,” Walton said. “He emphasized to them how proud he was watching them, because we’re hitting all four of those values. The first one and the most important one is probably joy. He wants us having fun. It’s a long season, this game’s meant to be fun.
“When we hit those four things we’re not only very tough to beat, but we’re very fun to watch, we’re very fun to coach, we’re very fun to be around, and he just told the guys how happy he was that they’re continuing to do those things.”
And there’s no doubt these Dubs are the league’s most entertaining team, having plenty of fun as they chase far more than this sizzling start in November.
Kerr challenged this group to take it to another level this season and not settle for being the champs, acknowledging the Warriors will get everybody’s best shot in every city and at home.
Golden State took that to heart, determined to show that last season was no fluke for a championship-starved franchise that captured its first NBA crown in 40 years.
“It’s boggling my mind what this whole team does,” said former Warriors star Jason Richardson, who happened to be honored on the record-setting evening. “You always wanted for this organization to be in this position.”
For Kerr, mindfulness means not relying on just talent to outdo an opponent or focusing on individual marks. Compassion is for each other and the game of basketball.