In an interview last week Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr talked soberly about the pressures on the Warriors as they flirt with the NBA regular season win record. The Warriors have suffered two recent defeats (Celtics, Warriors) under the pressure, and Kerr has to work hard to keep the focus on playoff readiness, not some record that — while nice — doesn’t get anybody any rings. (Kerr should know; he has six of them.)
Kerr is constantly asked to compare Steph Curry‘s current dominance to that of Michael Jordan, who Kerr saw up close as a Jordan teammate for the late 90s 3-peating Bulls. And it’s the Bulls’ regular season mark the Warriors are chasing, inviting ever more comparisons. Kerr has news for all the Curry wannabes though. Asked whether Steph is changing the way basketball is played and if he’s concerned that people are going to pattern their games after Curry, Kerr chuckled. “It’s not that simple,” he said. “I’m sure lots of people patterned their games after Michael’s too.” Problem is that you can’t just decide to play like one of these “transcendent players” Kerr said, naming Bird and Magic as other guys people probably tried to “pattern their games after.” To make it clear, Kerr said he actually hopes more players start patterning their games after Curry, “pulling up from 35 feet off the dribble.” Because “we’ll be getting a lot of rebounds and going the other way.”
