BOSTON– Steve Kerr finally said the quiet part out loud after the Golden State Warriors' 120-99 loss to the Boston Celtics, their sixth in seven games.
“We're going to be in the play-in,” Kerr said. “We know that, one way or the other.”
It's a reality, Kerr said, the Warriors have understood for a while, but the fact that he vocalized it to the press is significant. With Golden State sinking to 10th in the West after a 120-99 loss to the Boston Celtics, its Play-In destiny is an obvious observation.
But it's also significant given how he cited their “game plan mistakes,” i.e., allowing back cuts to the Celtics and boxing out, things the team went over in their morning shootaround. It's significant given how the words Kerr pounded over and over again, all through his frustrated press conference, were “process,” “habits,” and “spirit,” to emphasize their lack thereof.
“We gave up like three back cuts early on, after we had a shootaround this morning going through those very actions,” Kerr said. “And we completely messed up [those] coverages three times in the first quarter. Cannot do that. Cannot happen. You want to win a playoff game? You better be locked in. So lock in.”
What does being locked in look like in Steve Kerr's eyes?
For Kerr, being locked in means multiple things. It starts with cutting out the mental mistakes and executing their preparation. It also means being ready for when Stephen Curry and the rest of the crew return from injury. But it's also about what Kerr describes as the “spiritual part.”
“Part of locking in is not just the mental part of it, but it's the spiritual part. It's the emotion. How ready are you, how confident are you? How together are you? And it's like I said, it's easy when you're beaten up. It's easier to kind of hang your head. We just can't hang our heads. We've got to keep plugging away.”
Keep is the keyword because they have been plugging away. The Warriors haven't been losing for a lack of trying. They've played hard, they've scrapped, and they've fought. Even down multiple players. Even with two-way players and guys on 10-day contracts. And they certainly aren't tanking, Kerr's made that clear on multiple occasions.
But Kerr reaching his boiling point after the loss signals a very specific kind of smoke. A very specific kind of message The effort can be there, but it's nothing without the process. It's nothing without the habits. And that's what the Warriors are trying to establish so they can hit the ground running when the big guns arrive.
“I've been telling the guys, we have to build our habits and be ready for when we get guys healthy again,” Kerr hammered. “Because then we can have the firepower that can be complemented by a foundation of good habits, good fundamentals. Like I said, I think there's a lot of stuff we can improve upon. But at the base of all that is your spirit, energy, confidence. We got to work on that, too.”
The reality of the Warriors right now
Gui Santos summarized the Warriors' situation as it currently stands perfectly.
“We know it doesn't matter if we win 13 games or we lose 13 games, we're gonna be playing [in the play-in],” Santos said.
So, as evidenced, the players understand the realities of the situation. They know they need to be in good shape when Curry eventually returns. Based on the latest updates, with Curry ramping up individual work this week, he's getting closer. And in Pat Spencer's words, the Warriors need an identity to glom onto, given how different the team is now with Jimmy Butler out and Kristaps Porzingis in.
“It's about building an identity,” Spencer said. “Having something really tangible and something we can lean on when we get number 30 and a couple of other guys back.”
Kerr's belief in this team is as fiery as ever. Hence his vocal frustration.
“If we're prepared when they get back, we can do some damage,” Kerr said. “We can go on a run. But we can't have game plan mistakes. We've got to build better habits. Like boxing out, taking care of the ball in transition, being more efficient in transition, that sort of thing.”
That's the hurdle for the 33-36 Warriors. Whether they can clear it, with the injuries and limited time left in the season, remains the challenge.
