Following a daring shot by Houston Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni, his counterpart Steve Kerr was unequivocally convinced his team could have gotten the job done much more efficiently than they did throughout the series.
D'Antoni had told forward Kevin Durant that his team would have won the series if Chris Paul played, thing Kerr dismissed by turning it up yet another notch during a post-victory meal at Morton’s The Steakhouse.
“We would have won the series in five if Iggy played,” Kerr said convinced, according to Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated.
Iguodala had proven to be a key starter from Games 1-3, holding Paul and James Harden to a mere 1-of-41 from the field as the primary defender.
Draymond Green, a forward that once butted heads with Kerr two seasons ago, agreed with him wholeheartedly even before Kerr mentioned it in spite of D'Antoni's bravado.
“Games 4 and 5, we gave it to them,” Green said. “We don’t really give things away, ever. But we gave those two games away.”
The Warriors played awful in both games and were still surprisingly within striking range, ultimately falling short of a win due to poor decision-making down the stretch.
Just like the Rockets were short a key starter, so were the Warriors — who didn't miss much statistically, but rather a veteran presence that stabilizes the team at both ends of the floor — something Golden State badly needed during Games 4 and 5.
Whether the Warriors could have gotten it done in five games, that will go into the pantheon of what if? questions, but Kerr has surely said the right things to keep his team confident and with high spirits.
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