The defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors can look at their 3-7 record with some perspective, says head coach Steve Kerr. After all, the Warriors have been here before and worse, going 2-9 during as surprising stretch last winter that made them seem more vulnerable than the really were.
That 2-9 stretch turned out to be a perverse precursor to winning the title, even though there are exactly no books about how to contend which instruct teams to win 2-of-11 games to get ready.
But that’s just what happen sometimes, according to Kerr, who remained positive then and does so now. Kerr said after the latest loss to the Pelicans, which saw the starters take a break, that he’s “very happy with the effort (recently).”
You play and you learn and get better, says Kerr, whose four NBA championship rings as a coach (not to mention his five as a player) give him a wide angle lens on time and success that affords him more poise than most.
Warriors shooting sensation Klay Thompson possesses a bit of that wisdom, too, having four rings himself and having traveled back a very long road from what could have been a career ending injury.
Still, Thompson doesn’t express his current feelings with quite the calm reserve that Kerr does. Maybe that’s because Thompson has been on the court during the Warriors’ inept start. His response to the Warriors early predicament is more frank and more stark.
Thompson qualifies the recent stretch of games for Golden State as a “road trip from hell.” And that’s with fellow Splash Brother Steph Curry averaging more than 30 ppg. That’s not to say Thompson is defeated.
“It’s time to kick into high gear and play that championship level of basketball that we’re used to,” he says. Fans agree: The Warriors are 0-6 on the road.
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