The Golden State Warriors blew yet again another lead, this time squandering a 24-point, second-half advantage and letting the Memphis Grizzlies come away with an improbable 128-119 overtime win.
Needless to say, head coach Steve Kerr was not very pleased.
Following the game, Kerr expressed frustration with how the Warriors acted with each other as they saw their lead evaporate bucket after bucket.
“I didn't like our body language,” Kerr told ESPN's Chris Haynes. “That's the main thing. I thought we were playing a really good, solid game through three quarters. We were taking care of the ball and defending, but the fourth quarter, once they made that run, our body language was bad. That can't happen, and that bothered me.”
Kerr has been a true artist when it comes to reflecting patience and answering questions matter-of-factly, instead of emotionally. The frustration within the team was obvious, probably not any more obvious than Stephen Curry‘s reaction when Kevin Durant asked for an isolation at the top of the key, literally asking Curry to give the ball up so that he can take shot. Curry obliged and Durant took one dribble and pulled up from three over the less-athletic Zach Randolph, the shot bricked off the front rim and if things weren't going downhill by then, it started to snowball.
Forward Draymond Green was visibly irked with Durant, as the designed play was to play a pick-and-roll with Curry, who had 40 points at that point in the game — with the game tied at 111 — instead of a decent look on a switch, Curry ended up hoisting a contested 39-footer in the next play, forcing overtime.
“We just haven't executed very well,” Kerr said. “Maybe that's something that we can do better as a coaching staff, trying to get guys in better position. We'll look at the tape and continue to experiment and try different things. But we have to close games better and execute better offensively.”
Green echoed his coach's sentiment after the Warriors mustered a baffling 21 points combined within the fourth quarter and overtime.
“We've got some things that we need to correct to be a championship team, and right now we're not that,” he said.
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