Conversation With Warriors Coach Steve Kerr | 'The TK Show'

Tim Kawakami, the editor-in-chief of the very athletic Bay Area. Tim Kawakami. Tim Kawakami, who's covered the NBA for over 2 decades and more specifically the Golden State Warriors over the last 12 years. This is the TK Show.

Everybody, Tim Kawakami here from the home studio, TK Show. Very glad to have on for my— our, what, our usual, our traditional end-of-season conversation with the Warriors head coach Steve Kerr. Steve, how you doing today? Thanks for coming on.

Yeah, yeah, my pleasure. How are you, Tim?

I'm doing just fine. I just wanna make sure you weren't in Tolbert's backyard anymore. I know you used to be, so I was watching that. I go, yeah, it's a good time. It's a good time to be with Tommy. I gotta get into his backyard one of these days.

We have a lot of fun together. We've known each other forever, and he's one of my best friends. And yeah, I always love being with Tom.

I did like you putting that gambling numbers up under his name on the board for Lou. I could just picture you doing that. So I don't know.

Scamp. Maybe not a great idea.

All right, Steve. Well, let's just do the general stuff first. Uh, you know, you've been asked these questions, but it's been several days since the end of the season. I'm sure you've had meetings. I'm sure you've kind of thought about some big picture stuff. Uh, as you are further removed from the emotions and everything that went on this just finished season, or last season, I guess it is, uh, anything strike you about like what you learned or what lessons or what things that you're going to take from this? and bring into the near future?

Not really. I wish I had a better answer for you, but, um, I thought, uh, pretty self-explanatory. You know, as soon as we traded for Jimmy Butler, we, we got really good. And as soon as Steph Curry got hurt, um, we lost. And, uh, it's sometimes it's that simple. But, um, no, I, I, I really enjoyed the season. Um, I love the run that we went on, you know, at the end of the year. I love the Houston series. The guys were all great. They all were connected and committed, and that's all you can ask as a coach. And when you when you look forward to going to the gym every day and working with the group, and you have success, it's so much fun. So I I love this season. I enjoyed it. A lot of ups and downs, but like I said, all in all, the guys were great and. You're just an unfortunate way for things to end, but injuries are always a part of this stuff.

Yeah, Steph mentioned the clarity that you have now, uh, and that really struck me because I totally understand that and I totally feel that. Like, you know, maybe when you're 24 and 25 or whatever you were in January or late January, early February before the Butler trade, you're not really sure, right? I mean, you know, you're just, which way are we going here? Does it have You might not be thinking this, but others probably are like, does it— is this coming to an end? Is it— are we good enough? Uh, and then the Butler thing completely kind of just says, this is what we are, right? Uh, did you feel yourself kind of grasping for clarity maybe in the middle of the season?

Oh yeah. I mean, I— we, we, um, you know, we started out so well, um, playing 12, 13 guys, and, you know, we made everything early on. You know, Buddy Heald was on fire and Moses shot well, and you know, it just seemed like we were in a great groove early on. And then I think reality kind of set in, you know, everybody else started making shots against us and, and we started scrambling and, um, you know, made, made the Schroeder trade and, you know, we were really searching. And, um, there just comes a point in the season where you're kind of out of answers and, um, You know, you don't really have any moves to make. And that's why we made the Jimmy trade. You know, Mike sensed it, Joe sensed it. Uh, we were, we were kind of who we were, .500 team, and we were going to be fighting for, you know, the 10th spot like we were last year. And, and, uh, so the trade was brilliant. Um, Jimmy's one of the best players in the league. I think you, you could see instantly.

Yeah.

The impact he made, um, just controlling the games. You know, our defense got way better. We didn't change any scheme. Um, we didn't do anything differently. I just think Jimmy controlling the game allowed the entire game to settle down for us and to get our defense set up. And, um, he got to the line a bunch. I mean, everything just made sense once, once the trade happened.

It really does underline what stars do, right? I mean, I'm sure you do, but like, you had good players. I mean, you've had a lot of good players come through, and many of them had been stars, but the difference of a star, you know, just plopping them in that spot, things just go like— you just get organized because of that star. You obviously have a superstar with Steph, but, uh, did you anticipate that kind of reorganization with just Jimmy Butler arising?

Not really. You know, I think Jimmy is, uh, He's a subtle superstar. You know, he doesn't jump off the page when you watch him from afar, from a skill standpoint, from, you know, an athletic standpoint. But as soon as you're with him, you know, for a few days, you see the impact. You see how strong he is, how smart he is, the footwork. He rarely turns it over. And he's so smart. He reminds me a lot of Andre Iguodala. It's the way he sees the game. He's a better offensive player than Andre. Obviously, he's a guy who you run your offense through, which Andre You know, wasn't really, but, but they see the game in a very similar way. Um, Jimmy's main thing that he wants to do is pass.

Mm-hmm.

And, um, you know me, uh, I believe passing is the key to the game. I really do. And, and, uh, we've always had, uh, good passing players on our teams, our most successful teams, uh, guys who distribute, who see the game, who, who understand that a good pass, whether it's an assist or not, unlocks an offensive possession. And then, you know, a couple good passes and an offensive possession means your defense is set up and the game is flowing and it's connected. And Jimmy does all that, and that's why we started winning. I mean, it's no coincidence. Below .500 when we, when we got him, 23-8 after we got him, becoming one of the best teams in the league, top 5 both offense and defense. It's not It's not a coincidence.

You mentioned the passing, and we were bugging you and Jimmy throughout, like, is this playoff Jimmy? And he got a little annoyed with that, which I would too. It was just asked too much. You— will you carry a team? Like, listen, that sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn't. And Dwyane Wade, not a take-meister, right? He's somebody who's very wise and a very reasoned guy. He did mention that Jimmy does want to pass, uh, that he doesn't always want to shoot the ball. Sometimes he should shoot the ball more, especially when Steph was down. I'm not asking a take versus take thing here, but How much do you have to synthesize? This guy is just— sometimes he just does not want to take an inefficient shot, even if you sometimes maybe it feels like he should. Um, I know you've said, I didn't— don't talk to him, he understands things. But is that just something that has to be kind of baked into what you do into the future?

I just think he's a, he's a great player because he's unique to himself and, and the way he sees the game. And, and, um, you know, this kind of reminds me of this This topic of, you know, did Jimmy shoot enough, it kind of reminds me of like, you know, 10 years ago before LeBron won any championships and he was with Cleveland. I guess it would have been longer than that, 15 years ago.

Yeah.

You know, and he's passing to open teammates for game-winning shots and they miss. And, and then, you know, the next day it's like, why didn't LeBron take the game-winning shot? You know, it's like, well, because that was the right play and his teammate got a wide-open look. That's why. And, um, every player is unique to himself and, and Yeah. I think Jimmy is, uh, Jimmy's an incredible, uh, player, but if you want him to score, um, and there's no spacing around him, which was the case for the last 4 games of the series without Steph, um, it's going to be really hard to score, especially against, uh, you know, a guy like McDaniels with Gobert at the rim. Uh, Minnesota just stayed home even with our guys who, um, you know, aren't, aren't our typical spacers, you know, Draymond and, and, uh, you know, Gary Payton and, and I mean, they just stayed home because they just decided we're not going to get beat behind the 3-point line, and Jimmy Butler's gonna have to go one-on-one against McDaniels with Gobert sitting at the rim. I mean, it's, uh, it was a good strategy, and there frankly, there wasn't much space for Jimmy to attack, and we, we didn't have enough spacing on the floor to, uh, to give him the, you know, the, the room and the freedom and the, and the flow, uh, to, to to be at his best.

You mentioned he didn't change systems, he didn't change schemes, uh, he just kind of just plopped right in there. Uh, do you need some roster adjustments though? Maybe you mentioned the spacing, uh, you've mentioned that you kind of had to go one way or the other. The 2-way aspect was not as evident as you've had certainly in the past when you've won championships. We, we both love the 2-way wings. Um, you're not the general manager, I know it's Mike Dunleavy's job, but Uh, is that where you find yourself saying, okay, when we're going to improve, it's going to be probably with personnel?

Uh, no, I, I mean, I, I think that's part of it, and part of it is coaching and, uh, player development and what we're doing and what we're teaching. I mean, you always have to look at everything from a comprehensive manner and, and figure out where you can make improvement, and there's, there's improvements to be made across the board. So, um, but you know, this stuff is always dictated by the results, so Steph gets hurt and, um, you know, we lose 4 in a row and it's like, all right, well, all the questions pop up, you know. Do we need a, you know, a roster shift? All that stuff. Steph doesn't get hurt, maybe we win that series, we're in the conference finals, everybody's going, man, what a great roster. So, uh, you know, you, you, you, you just have to look at everything, um, unemotionally when the season ends. And, uh, my job is really to, um, think about what we can do as a coaching staff to improve and what, what we need to do next year with, uh, with the guys that we have. And where can I get better? Where we— where can we get better? Mike's job is to improve the roster, just like it is every summer. And, and we really collaborate on all this stuff, and we, uh, we have a great partnership. And, um, he chimes in on stuff that our staff can do better. I, I chime in on roster stuff, and, and we work together. The wait is over. Football is here, and so is DraftKings. DraftKings is now live in all 50 states. One app, every sport nationwide. New DraftKings customers sign up with code 2400, spend $5 to get $200 in rewards within 21 days. Includes all markets. That's code 2400. In partnership with DraftKings, the crown is yours. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER, 1-800-MY-RESET. Connecticut, call 888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org. On behalf of Boot Hill Casino in Kansas, bet tax pass-through may apply in Illinois. 21 and over. Void in Canada. Bet with DraftKings Sportsbook to get bonus bets that expire in 7 days or trade with DraftKings Predictions to get predictions dollars that expire in 1 year. Event contract trading involves risk of loss. Predictions offer void in New York. Non-withdrawable rewards issued as $50 click-to-claims every 7 days for 21 days. Terms at dkng.co/offer. Limited time offer. Nationwide based on sportsbook predictions and Free-to-play sports contest availability varies by state.

Another Jimmy question. I, you know, we've seen the basketball fit was instantaneous. You mentioned, you know, he shows up that Chicago game, it just seems to fit. Personality-wise, though, we all know he can be a different kind of guy and he's gone through some things. When did you just know from a person, a human side, that this was going to work? When, you know, when he arrives, what— when did you know he's going to fit in this locker room?

Well, first of all, uh, Erik Spoelstra told me immediately, said he's going to be great for you. Um, and I know Spo really well from the last couple summers, and, and I trust him. And, um, you know, I, I believed him, and, and he was right. I mean, within a couple of days of his arrival, I mean, Jimmy was so easy to speak with. Uh, he reminded me again of Andre, just the basketball intellect and but also the interest in the world and perspective and the maturity. And, and, uh, it was, it was really fun to, to get to know Jimmy right away and to see the impact he had on our team and our locker room. And he was an absolute dream. And I know everything that happened in Miami would not have suggested that, um, but I can only base, um, you know, Jimmy's impact, um, and his personality and all that stuff on my experience. And he was the model citizen and just an amazing guy to coach, um, you know, these last few months.

Do you get in any of the domino games?

No, no, I wouldn't want to play dominoes anyway. But if I did, I— from what I understand, I, I would not want to play against him. I think he's like world-class from what everybody says.

I would imagine. I would— I don't think he loses much, certainly on the team playing or whatever. Um, let's get to the Kuminga question. You know, you've addressed it. I'll just say, with a player that talented, we all see the skills, the athletic skills, who's been here for 4 years, is there some, just from yourself or the coaching staff, even I'm sure with Jonathan, just frustration it hasn't quite fit, it hasn't quite worked out yet?

Uh, I don't look at it that way. I just— I— all I do is I coach the team every year and, and, um, try to put the puzzle together, um, the I've, I've, you know, it's a tricky one because Jonathan obviously is gifted and, and, um, you know, wants to play a bigger role and, and wants to play more. And, um, you know, for me, it's like, this is a— I've been asked to, to win. And, um, right now he's not a guy who I can say I'm gonna play 38 minutes, um, with the roster that we have. Um, Steph and, and, and Jimmy and, uh, Draymond and, and put the puzzle together that way and expect to win. Um, doesn't mean he's not a really good player, doesn't mean he's not talented. It just means the fit. And with the roster that we have, um, it's, um, it is tricky, there's no question. And we can, we can talk details, we can talk spacing, usage rate, all that stuff, but, um, the game is about the puzzle fitting. It's about 5 guys complementing one another at both ends of the floor. Um, so I, all I do is, you know, I try to, I try to win. And, uh, and that, um, you know, that, that doesn't, you know, necessarily mean, um, everybody's gonna be happy, whether it's the fans or the players or, you know, management, whatever. It's just I got to do what I get, what I think is best.

Uh, I think you mentioned it to the broadcasters going into the last game, uh, that Jonathan had not had many rebounds in the previous game. And I know that came up in the Sacramento series too, like he Didn't— like, is that like the lowest thing you need to see him activity is go get some rebounds? Like, at the very least, I need to see you get rebounds.

Yeah, I mean, you know, I, I've, I've always, uh, felt like, you know, the, the type of player JK needs to be is, you know, I've mentioned this in the past, like Sean Marion is a guy who jumps out. And, um, I talked about this JK's rookie year, you know, with his athleticism, uh, you know, running the floor, uh, putting pressure on the rim, offensive rebounds, uh, getting into the dunker, you know, the drop-off pass, you know, from, from drivers going up and dunking and, uh, guarding everybody at the other end, you know. I think that's, to me, that's, uh, what he's, uh, really built Um, and, um, we've, you know, we've really pushed, uh, him in that direction. And, and, um, I think sometimes with young players, there, there's a, you know, there's a process. I mean, I think Aaron Gordon is a good example. You know, he spent years in Orlando where he was, you know, he really wanted to be the scorer and the lead guy and, and had some success like JK has, but Maybe didn't really find his role and find himself until, till later. And I think that's, that's kind of the hope. I mean, you know, all these guys who come into the league are so young these days. JK came in at 18, 19. Um, so there's a lot of growth ahead for him. Um, you know, I think right now, you know, he is a ball-dominant player. I mean, you know, 92nd percentile in usage rate. um, this year in the NBA. That's really high. Um, so on a team with Steph and Jimmy, like, I mean, honestly, I mean, Steph's gonna have the ball, Jimmy's gonna have the ball, you know. And so the fit is tricky, there's no question. And, um, and what JK and I've talked about a lot, um, and what we've tried to really hammer home with him is, uh, you know, sprint the floor and rebound and be complementary to those guys. And that's how you can find your role and, and find more minutes. Um, And hopefully that will, you know, that will click and we'll, uh, we'll find that, that place where he can, yeah, start to do those things and rebound and get loose balls and be, be a high-energy, you know, possession guy. Like I said, like Sean Merritt, like, like Aaron Gordon. I think those guys are great cops, um, but young guys take some time to, you know, to, to find their place, to, to figure out the best versions of themselves. And I think that process is still happening.

Another— the guy in his draft class, Moses Moody, you know, very different kind of career or different kind of way he's discussed. Uh, that guy, you know, just— you see him out there, he's always doing the right thing. You've mentioned last year, like, he's got to be able to get that shot off a little quicker, maybe be a little bit more decisive quicker. Did you see that this season? Obviously went in and out of lineup, but did you see a noticeable upgrade in what Moses was doing this year?

Yeah, I thought Moses, you know, the last, uh, Well, really, after the Jimmy trade, he was able to settle into a role that was very comfortable for him and for us, you know, starting, guarding the ball, kind of took on the Wiggins role.

Mm-hmm.

I think that trade just clarified everything for both Moses and Brandon, and we settled into that starting lineup, and Moses did a great job, you know, high energy, Defensive player chasing loose balls, diving on the floor, you know, and playing off of others knocking down threes. That's a role he's well suited for, and he really had a good year. I'm thrilled that you know we we got the contract extension done back in October. He's locked in for the next three years and had a really good year. Obviously, things went south for him a little bit in the playoffs, but that sometimes happens to to young players and great learning experience for him and for us. We've got to figure out as a coaching staff how to better prepare Moses for, um, you know, what, what Houston did, for example, putting Sengun on him, changing everything in terms of the chessboard, and, um, you know, helping him expand his game so that he can play through stuff like that.

How hard or easy is it for you to— you know, obviously Moses is a great guy, diligent, has taken, you know, accepted his role in so many different ways. And then, you know what, it's— we got to go away from you here, right? You know, like, the shot isn't going. You go a couple of games without making a shot, you look tentative. Is that a discussion you have with them? Is that an assistant who has it with them? How do you deal with that as a coach, knowing— I mean, we're all going to see it, we're all going to report about it, fans are going to go, what's happening here? Uh, what's that process like with somebody?

It's no fun, but it's, uh, though, that's coaching. I mean, if you can't have those conversations, you shouldn't be a coach, frankly. I mean, it's— everything is about transparency and honesty, and, and if you can do it in a way that's empathetic and, and genuine, then I think players respect that. And, and I think that's what coaching is. But every year, um, there's— this is the job. I mean, I remember David Lee my first year coaching, you know, it's like he gets hurt, we put Draymond in the lineup, and I'm sorry, David, but, you know, we're 15-1 or whatever we were, like, we're gonna stay with this. You know, that sucks. I like David. You know, I loved him. I loved coaching him, and and and he had had so much success, and all of a sudden, you know, I'm trying to find minutes for him off the bench. Every year there's circumstances like that, either from the beginning of the year or they pop up during the year. J.K. is a great example of that. You know, once we got Jimmy, everything shifted, and and so you have to have those conversations. You have to be really honest and. And you hope that the players can, you know, understand what's happening and, and keep plugging away. And, and I give Moses and JK a lot of credit because both guys responded well and, and then played well when, when we went back to them.

As a player, do you remember any conversations like that you had with a coach or assistant coach about that? And what was the best one you met? What was the best one you had?

You know, Pop was just awesome with that stuff. And, um, you know, with the Bulls, I actually was— I played there 5 years. I was never out of the rotation, um, in 5 years. I played a— I played 20 minutes every single night for 5 years. And so Phil never had to have that conversation with me. With the Spurs, I was in and out, oftentimes out. And, and Pop was just phenomenal the way he would immediately address it. Head-on, uh, honest but compassionate. And I model a lot of my coaching style after, after Pop in that regard.

You know, we know we're looking at this 2-year window. We know Jimmy signed for 2 years, Steph signed for 2 years, Draymond signed for 2 years. Steph just said, oh yeah, and Steve's for 2 years. Now you're not, you're 1 year. But, uh, just looking at you, Steve, I can't imagine you not coaching. Maybe I'm making a big overstatement here, Uh, you've said that you're happy to go year to year, but can you imagine— I mean, listen, I've asked Steph and Steph said no, he cannot imagine another coach besides yourself for him. Could you imagine walking away from this? I, I cannot. Maybe I'm speaking too broadly, but I, I just feel like you're in this at least as long as the Curry era. Would you—

I mean, I love, I love my job. I love, uh, you know, working with these guys and I just know the NBA. I know how fragile everything is, and I know where our organization is. I think, you know, we're at a really interesting spot. I just don't think it's even worth speculating, and I have no problem just You know, coaching this year and then addressing it next summer. I think that's fair to management, it's fair to everybody involved. And, you know, if, if, if they want me back and, you know, I'd probably say yes. I mean, how could I say no to, to the Warriors and Steph and, and Draymond? But I've also learned that you just— there's no reason to even consider what's going to happen in the next year because none of us have any idea.

But you're gonna coach, right? I mean, I, I just can't see you not coaching me. You know, listen, who knows what— where the world is and everything like that. But I just— my watching you through the Olympic process, and I know that took a lot of time, it took a lot of energy, but you always looked fired up coming off the Olympic stuff, right? Even the year when you didn't, you know, the, the World Cup where you didn't win. Um, did, did you feel like rejuvenated or whatever the word is, like Reassess, re-feeling about what you love about coaching out of the Olympics, out of the seasons that have come after that, um, just underline that you want to be a coach. Like, that's—

Yeah, I, I love what I do. And last summer was amazing working with Pop, and I mean, with Spoh and Ty Lue and Mark Few, Grant Hill, Shawn Ford. USA Basketball's amazing. And then to coach, you know, one of the greatest collection of Stars of all time, um, in Paris and to win the gold medal. What a thrill. And that absolutely, uh, propelled me into this Warriors season with a lot of energy and, um, you know, new ideas. And, um, uh, so I, I love what I do. And, and, um, so yeah, I mean, I, I, I, it's— I'm not sitting here thinking like, yeah, I'm wrapping this thing up, you know. I don't have the energy to do— I'm not thinking that way at all. I just, again, this is the NBA and my contract is for another year. So let's just, you know, put that to bed. And I don't want to have any discussions about my contract, you know, for the rest of the year. I just want to go into next year and have a great season and then we'll readdress it.

Just write The Last Dance on a piece of paper and show it to a documentary crew and we'll hear about it in 10 years. One thing I had— you mentioned Pop, and I, I've heard this great story, you know, every time he takes people out to dinner, he toasts, you know, to Tim Duncan. Um, Steph and you are essentially like a partnership now. I mean, you've said it, I've seen it. Um, what a guy to be a partner with. That's the guy you would want to be a partner with. Do you sense, you know, there are parallels? Obviously you mentioned to Pop and Tim Duncan, or has it taken its own kind of You know, way. It's a unique relationship that you and Steph have.

It's very similar. It's very similar. Um, I think, uh, I think Pop and I are a lot alike in, in many ways, and I think, uh, Steph and Tim are a lot alike. Um, and I would say that, um, you know, Tim and Steph, um, like, if you had to, to put down names like Who every coach, you know, whoever coached in the NBA, if you ask them to name a couple guys they would want to partner with, Steph and Tim would be, you know, maybe the first 2 guys. And so there's no coincidence why this has lasted 11 years. I mean, Steph Curry is an incredible partner and an amazing guy to collaborate with, and he sets the tone culture-wise for everything that we do. And we have a great bond. I think we share a lot of the same values as human beings. We share similar vision of how the game should be played, and we look forward to seeing each other every day. So why wouldn't we, you know, keep keep this thing going? And and why wouldn't we still enjoy this? And I think that's you know that's the dynamic I saw with Pop and Timmy when I played. For 4 seasons with the Spurs, it was, it was very similar. It was collaborative. It was authentic, genuine love and friendship and a lot of humor, a lot of joy. It's hard to find that. And, and, but Steph, Steph and Tim are very similar in that regard. They're, to me, probably the, the 2 most collaborative superstars, the most— Easy to work with superstars that I can imagine.

You mentioned it, like, you've had more and more conversations with Steph over the last, say, few years. Um, I think that's just because of the state of where you both— you guys are, or has it been because there have been kind of more things you've had to figure out the last few years together?

Yeah, I just think, um, you know, 11 years together, uh, you just get to know each other better and better every year, and you go through stuff and You know, there's probably no better connector than running the gamut of winning championships to, you know, missing the playoffs altogether and then everything in between. And that's what we've shared. So we've been through it all, and there's always a level of respect and comfort in knowing that each of us has The other's best interest at heart because all we care about is winning and, and that's all we're trying to do.

I'll ask the standard question. I mean, you've had a few meetings, I'm sure. Do you expect any changes to your coaching staff?

No, no. Our staff, um, was great all year. We got— we found a really good groove as the season went along. Uh, the new guys, Jerry and Terry, uh, you know, did a great job. And we got a lot of really talented young coaches who I, I thought blossomed this year. And, and we're talking about it, uh, you know, a lot of fresh ideas, um, different things that we want to implement next year as the game changes, the NBA game evolves, as our team gets older in a lot of cases. We've, we've got a lot of, a lot of new ideas and, and thoughts for next season that I'm excited about.

And you mentioned when you brought Jerry in and maybe another that you, you wanted a couple more former players, right? Guys who the other players knew or maybe even played against. How important was that? How would Stackhouse or other— just to have that part of your staff?

It was really important, uh, you know, both to have the, uh, the gravitas of Terry, you know, the fact that he was a highly successful head coach for a decade in this league, um, and that just his presence and his humor and Uh, his collaboration with the group. Uh, I think the guys really, you know, had instant respect for him. And then, you know, Jerry's ability to connect with the guys on a level that, um, frankly nobody else on the staff can. You know, not only was he a, you know, a pro for 17 years, I think, but, uh, maybe it was 18, but, um, a great player, an All-Star player. And so the way he can communicate with Jimmy and And Draymond is different from any other coach, and that was a dynamic we really needed.

All right, Steve, I will end this with a version of a question I've asked you many times before. I ask everybody. I always look forward to your answers on this. Uh, Steve, what's your favorite book right now?

I'm reading a book called The Captain Class, um, by Sam Walker, and it's, um, uh, a friend of mine gave it to me, and it's a, it's a study. It's kind of, um, you know, a sports scientist, social scientist did a study on all the best sports dynasties in the world over, you know, the last 100 years or so. And it's kind of a study into why teams are able to sustain excellence over a decade or more. And it's fascinating. It really focuses in on the backbone of teams. Bill Russell is one of the guys who is featured. And, and, uh, you know, the point of the book is it's not always the best, the leading scorer. It's not always the most talented player, but it's the guys who are literally or figuratively the captains of their team and why they have such an impact on winning. And, um, it's really great. I mean, it's a, it's a great book. I, I think it applies to sports. applies to, to business, any kind of leadership, um, interest that you have. Um, wonderful book, really well researched, and, um, a lot of really good nuggets for me, you know, as a coach to, to think about.

Warriors in this conversation, or is it not involved?

I know, I think Draymond really, um, applies in a lot of ways. Um, I, I've always felt that Draymond is, you know, As I've said, the the heartbeat of the team. You know, Steph's obviously our best player, but Draymond has driven a lot of the winning. Now he doesn't fit every category in the book. You know, obviously he's you know he's had his ups and downs in terms of his own leadership. But I think the common thread between all these championship teams, like I said, the guy chronicles all these different dynasties, whether it's Premier League or. you know, the All Blacks, you know, New Zealand Rugby Club, different soccer teams, NFL teams. The common thread is just competitive force and fire. And that's what Bill Russell had. That's what Draymond has. And that's what Steph has, you know. And I just know from the teams that I was on, That one, there just has to be a competitive fire that is, that sort of underlines everything, that enhances everything, that, you know, when, when all else fails, when the schemes fail and the shots don't go in, you know, how badly do people want it? And if you, if you have enough guys like that on your, your team, you have a chance to do something special. And, uh, and I really feel like that's probably the most underrated dynamic of this run that we've been on for, you know, even beyond, you know, my 11 years. I would say 13-year run, you know, where the Warriors have been in the playoffs, you know, and, and had a chance to win a title year after year. It's that competitive fire, and not, not many athletes have that level of fire and determination and competitiveness like Like Steph, Draymond, Andre Iguodala, uh, Klay. That's the common thread, and that's the beauty of, of everything that's, that's, that's happened here.

That's why I love that stat. Ray Ritter, Steph Curry, and I love that stat. 29 out of 30 playoff series in the Steph Curry era, you guys have won at least one road game.

Yeah.

It's incredible. And including, you know, Game 7, uh, you'd won 2 road games in that series, but Game 7 on the road, Houston. You've done that multiple times. Um, I just tell, you know, that's from just from watching you guys up close, watching Steph up close, watching all those guys. That's the special part, the going on the road, knowing you can win a game on the road, knowing you can do that. Yeah, best team. Uh, and that's competitiveness. Like, that's—

It's competitiveness and it's IQ. You know, you saw in that Houston Game 7, um, it was Perfect game plan discipline. Um, I mean, Steph, you know, Steph I think was 0 for 6, um, for most of the first half. He hit a 3 with 30 seconds left in the half. It's his only field goal. Um, and we're up 12 because he's handled all the pressure and he's completely taken, taken control of the game offensively by taking care of the ball and limiting, um, his turnovers. And then at the other end, yeah, we, you know, we took away the 3s. We took away the stuff. that they had started to get in games 5 and 6. And, and, uh, you know, in those crucial, you know, road playoff games, it's, it's, it's competitive desire and it's IQ. And our, our group has had an abundance of that over the years.

All right, Steve, I thank you so much as always, uh, wrapping up our traditional postseason conversation. Thank you so much as always, Steve.

All right, thanks, Jim.

Everybody, that's the show for today.