Kevin Durant had nothing but praise for his head coach Steve Kerr, who was willing to go with the hot hand down the stretch, netting Stephen Curry a 48-point night and the Golden State Warriors a win over the Dallas Mavericks.
“Most of us in the locker room know the game as much as coach [Kerr],” said Durant. “The collaborative effort comes from wanting to be successful each possession. Coach called some great plays for us and we try to fine tune-in. Little details within those plays sometimes. But he has an overall template that he know how to play out of. Guys that have been around his system for so long can see things before they happen. Just try to use your basketball IQ.”
Kevin Durant praising Steve Kerr’s collaborative culture and inviting input on playcalling pic.twitter.com/wHGrv2cUaD
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) January 14, 2019
Kerr's willingness to go with the hot hand was paired with Durant' unselfishness in the dying minutes of the game.
Durant and Curry would normally save pick-and-roll plays between them for late-game situations — but the former knowing how hot Curry had been from the field, let him have his way in isolation for a game-breaking 3-point bucket.
https://twitter.com/dkurtenbach/status/1084636113505988608
Curry scored the team's last seven points en route to his second-best scoring outing of the season, an offensive explosion that Kerr was willing to ride out and Durant was perfectly happy to execute, setting the stage for Curry to flourish.
This type of strategy has become common place in Golden State culture, as they've done so during each of Durant/Curry/Klay Thompson's 50-plus-point efforts, with the rest of the team catering to the player with the hot hand.
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