Iguodala mentoring Kuminga, also shooting at practice
[+notes/quotes/video from Warriors-Kings Game 4 and practice, morning shootaround b4 Game 5]
My original goal of splitting up the articles for Game 4 and yesterday’s practice was derailed by tons of footage of De’Aaron Fox testing his finger wrap — Fox said he’s “99-100%” playing in Game 5 — and shooting around at Sacramento Kings practice, as well Golden State Warriors practice footage (see below) and, of course, the usual behind-the-scenes (BTS), courtside and up-close upload. So everything is once again lumped into one giant post here; I had wanted to split them up because I noticed a lot of little things in the behind-the-scenes (BTS) videos for both Games 3 and 4.
The biggest thing I noticed from Game 4, initially reported on Twitter by Alex Espinoza of 95.7 The Game, was when Andre Iguodala consoled/mentored Jonathan Kuminga on the bench during JK’s only three-minute stretch.
While on the livechat broadcast, I noticed these four issues about Kuminga as the Kings gained momentum: 1) he passed to Draymond Green too slowly in the point-five-basketball method, 2) he did not crash the boards on the same sequence, i.e., was “ball-watching”, 3) he couldn't get around the Alex Len screen on the next possession by Sacramento, 4) and Malik Monk easily passed JK on the point-of-attack (POA) — also Donte DiVincenzo didn't find a body to box-out which made the defensive effort overall look even worse. POA and rebounding are the two most important factors for Golden State. This one instance of Kuminga kind of having a brain fart in key swing moments is why it's hard to play young guys on winning teams.
As far as Iguodala, it goes without saying that the Dubs are fortunate there was even someone around to address JK’s play with Kuminga, on-the-spot. Although I’ve said many times that I sense Andre yearns to be a venture capitalist (my guess) and being successful in doing so requires full-time attention (I say this based on experience in that field), it sure would be nice to have him keep mentoring any young guys for the foreseeable future.
I still maintain that if Iguodala is ever 100% and the Warriors are still alive in the playoffs, his POA defense is amazing and, in just spot minutes, he could prove to be a valuable asset. After all, that’s exactly what he provided on-court in last year’s Finals.
For the rest of this post I’ll begin with the relevant BTS video and livestream notes of Game 4, followed by the picture galleries. Then we will go back to chronological order or cram everything else in since the post, with news from today, yesterday’s practices, and finally postgame then pregame coverage from Game 4. The other tidbits I found in the BTS, I’ll write about in a future post as they are more “evergreen” data points, anyways.
At the bottom there are “bonus” videos for paid subscribers to view the Warriors workouts yesterday with the copyrighted music intact.
0:00 GP2 pregame routine
0:10 JK and Looney
0:24 “Warrior coming out!”
0:39 Steph’s “COSeezy” Liberty point with Q
0:55 dancing with asst Anthony Vereen to “Stomp” by God’s Property
1:55 t-shirt football toss with Yusef
2:01 Klay arrives
2:17 Steph dunk
2:25 soccer corner 3 with Q
2:53 Kobe fadeaway by Klay
3:04 Draymond arrives
3:46 game film with asst Jacob Rubin
4:07 tunnel run
5:10 more dancing from Steph after band work with trainer Kyle Barbour
5:30 LL Cool J! (with Geoff Yang who invested in Rock The Bells, Google it! Lol)
5:48 Jordan Poole and Draymond dap one of Andrew Wiggins’ brothers
6:24 player intros!
7:09 watch JP do stutter steps and spins into huddle
7:16 Steph always comes out when Klay’s name is announced, then saunters to the corner
7:35 Loon’s talcum powder piano
8:11 Steph x Fox pregame love tap
8:13 Steph’s stanchion run
8:25 full pre-tipoff #GoldBlooded Jumbotron segment
9:03 Kyle Shanahan sitting next to Joe Lacob
9:12 Steph got a stinger on his shooting hand, shakes it off with a rare practice shot at the free throw line
9:23 JP to Loon (2 angles)
9:45 Draymond checks in off the bench
10:14 great sequence of Tiki-taka
10:29 Steph fends off Davion Mitchell with the forearm
10:34 Steph-back stepback (3 angles, 3rd one bedlam!)
11:26 Draymond backpack three
11:44 Klay’s high-degree-of-difficulty baseline fadeaway
12:01 Andre Iguodala mentors Jonathan Kuminga after JK makes four mistakes in only three minutes of play, JaMychal Green offers encouragement
12:23 BMX bike performance
12:33 courtside first-half buckets
13:19 Donte and Dray help JP up, JP acts funny
13:25 Klay’s buzzer-beater from five angles
13:45 Klay’s hopping celebration 😂
14:08 good angle of JP’s whip-pass assist
14:32 bench celebration including Hilton Armstrong’s mean mug 😤
14:48 close-up from that corner plus bedlam
15:05 close-up of E-40 (with guest Droopiter)
15:20 Steph seeks out Donte to tell him it was a great assist
15:32 final play from three angles
16:46 Klay with the physicality vs Keegan Murray
16:52 Wiggins with the mean mug 😤
16:56 Steph x Dray and JP
17:14 Klay super-pumped but blocked by PR staff to do post-buzzer interviews 😂
17:22 Dray x E-40 handshake
17:28 fan says, “Thank God for Harrison” in tunnel, fans cheer Klay
17:49 Steph: “Let’s go road trippin’!”
17:56 Dray: “Now we go to Sac and get one”
18:07 Juan Toscano-Anderson in the house again
18:11 Warriors fan gives Kings fan the bird
18:13 Mistah FAB joins Festus Ezeli for postgame TV interview
18:31 Festus high-fives fans by the Thrive City studio
18:52 E-40 joins the postgame
19:39 Klay on his paper airplane toss: “Oh my gosh!”
19:49 different types of Warriors celebrations and chants at Chase Center
20:05 Chase Center late after postgame as the clean-up crews power vacuum
20:14 Draymond stops by postgame party at Miller & Lux
0:00 Draymond comes off the bench! Same starters as Game 3, Dean: "Draymond's a great Sixth Man", teaching the casuals about how starting is not as important as closing
8:45 Dean with the Markkanen jokes as someone chimes in from Finland
9:15 Dean predicts an intense game
26:45 Loon lost a tip!
11m25 Loon airball force, Fox blocked by Wiggs, JP 94 feet
10m25 tiki-taka Loon to Wiggs
9m45 tiki-taka Klay layup
9m30 Sabonis bullies Loon
9m00 Wiggs to Loon, then Steph 3 via Wiggs in KH's face
8m15 Loon blocks Keegan!
31:45 "Come on Adam Silver, you wanna suspend a guy from this pace?!"
7m30 JP hangs head after Klay turnover and layup Kings, JP makes up for it with a 3
6m25 JP ATO 3
6m05 Dray tells JP not to shade
5m45 Dray tech, does that mean 3 points to the 7 tech limit in playoffs?
5m05 (can't remember, too many fast-paced plays to track)
42:45 Monk 5th in 6MOY
4m30 Dray gets back vs HB after complaining to the ref
4m10 Dray 3 via Steph screen
3m45 Steph Curry ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?
3m25 Moses box-out!!! Donte help for Dray
3m10 Monk POA Len putback, Monk 3 before that
2m25 Klay Kobe move post to Moses 3
WE ANALYZED THE JP-TO-KLAY TURNOVER FROM AROUND 7M30 AWHILE BEFORE THIS
48:15 in five years there should be way more of these types of games
1m33 Steph great D vs KH
1m15 Dray wanted Wiggs to help on the Lyles drive but Wiggs was covering someone else
0m50 transition D a little suspect as Len gets a dunk via Monk
0m07 Monk downhill again, our POA is a bit porous, I don't see the desperation, then Steph passes to Dray at the buzzer, sometimes as Kerr says Steph doesn't think, that wasn't the "master at work"
56:15 POA is borderline atrocious and we need complete desperation for us to play better at POA because we're not good at it (unless GP2 is in there), as evidenced by Monk, you can get a pretty good barometer of our POA D by how well Monk is playing
12m00 Q2 tiki-taka ATO Dray Wiggs
11m15 Wiggs block Monk chase
11m00 JK late on the pass, late on the rebound, Fox hits a fadeaway, Brown calls illuminati
10m33 Donte saves the moment with a 3
9m40 Mike Brown calls out 1 after the 3
9m15 Monk POA again
1:01:30 I can name 3-4 things that JK did wrong in that short sequence: 1) he passed to Dray too slow in the 0.5 bball, 2) he did not rebound on the same play, 3) he couldn't get around the Len screen, 4) Monk easy POA past JK, also Donte didn't find a body -- POA and rebounding are killing us, also that's why it's hard to play young guys
9m00 out of the timeout, Klay tiki then Steph steal to Wiggs vs 3 guys (JK went out)
8m00 Steph answers my call for desperation, goes after the ball, draws a foul on Len
7m20 great team D
7m10 JP almost dribbles too much
6m55 GP in for Steph to guard Monk
6m40 Fox beats GP on a curl via Sabonis (we always get beat on those)
6m15 trap Klay leads to 3-on-2
5m45 Monk gets blown by JP
5m15 Klay fires with 15 on the clock
5m30 Monk POA
5m00 GP2 a little rusty, no desperation on the Loon tip
3m40 Wiggs slipped? KH easy layup -- I want Dray to tongue-lash the team at halftime
2m54 Dray back in upon my request lol
2m40 anytime Sabonis picks someone they score, Keegan there
1m55 Kerr barks out twenty with duck hand: Dray inside miss Klay 3
1m11 no towel boys at Chase? Cost of living? (Klay slipped)
0m55 Fox 2 via Sabonis pick AGAIN -- feels like we're stuck, can't bring out Loon, can't put a small guy on Fox because at least Wiggs is recovering for chase downs tonight
0m22 Baby Faced Assassin two-for-one vs HB
1:27:30 analyzing the Keegan 3 before the half -- seems like we are at their mercy, would probably have to not shade from Huerter too much, Dray would have to trust, and maybe that's been part of the problem is the "rust" from Dray (and GP2)
1:32:30 Dean: "we have to win the possession battle"
11m40 Fox POA to HB 3, who can stop that in the NBA?
11m00 Dray wants to cover Fox
10m00 Klay tough baseline 2
9m15 Loon oreb to Wiggs under the hoop
8m30 Loon draws a charge on Sabonis -- Domas complains, I'm losing respect for this guy, credit to Looney: "Mr. MRI Sabonis really going after Kevon's sternum there"
1:48:45 we don't have enough blue collar fans at Chase, at least that goes to pay for our luxury taxes
8m12 tiki Dray dunk
7m40 I'll take the 3rd on Fox rather than the original layup that Dray should've made
7m10 Steph turns corner on HB, G4 layup
6m40 Wiggs chase down block after a Klay brain fart
1:57:00 someone wants minutes for Moody but wouldn't you want to play our 5 the whole way?
6m30 dirty foul by Sabonis kinda
6m20 tiki again Dray to Loon, Brown shakes his head
6m00 Keegan 3, Klay swings fist in disgust as I did
5m30 Wiggs Maple Jordan fade
5m10 Wiggs toilet bowl 3, Klay wanted that 3
5m00 proud team defense, great double close-out by Wiggs -- MAKES YOU LOVE OUR SQUAD
4m30 G4 layup!
4m20 GP in to guard Monk, Wiggs gets a tip
3m50 James Williams gets JP a call (homecourt call)
3m40 if Klay makes the hard 3 then Brown has to call timeout
3m30 Sabonis around-the-world 2-pointer, then JP 94 feet, Brown now TO
3m00 GP missed box-out
2m50 JP and-1 -- no more haters please
2m44 Steph checks in, playing this like Game 7, you rest then you rest, and we're going with defense (GP, Donte)
2m40 JP decides not to gamble on pass to Fox, Dray gets a rim protect vs Len, Huerter subs out (interesting)
1m50 GP late on the rotation, Len fouled by Dray -- GP a little rusty it seems
1m15 Monk again, I like him better than Brogdon
1m10 Steph with the fundamental pick, Lyles bulldozes him, somewhere McKillop is nodding his head
1m00 nice trap by JP caused a steal by Donte
0m24 Donte talks to Fox, could be he thought he had that stolen
0m10 great action, but credit Donte for the Klay 3 at the buzzer, credit Klay for hitting it in HB's eye -- NEW TIKI-TAKA ACTION THAT WE HAVEN'T SEEN BEFORE, a level upon a level of IQ
2:18:15 Just us! Draymond don't change (per his podium yesterday too)
2:22:45 Tim Roye on Twitter: "worst jumpball call he's ever seen" on the Sabonis non-kick 10m55 Q4
10m20 Klay heartache inside pass to Loon
9m40 I'm impressed by Keegan and Davion (and-1)
8m55 G4 layup
8m40 Steph GOAT 3, goes to credit Donte!!!!
2:30:00 Monk reminds Percy of JR Smith, except JR didn't have Monk's downhill -- 18/31 FG, 8/12 on 3s (Keegan, Monk, Davion)
8m10 Steph steal! Give him the MVP trophy
7m55 Dray to Wiggs lobs looks 0.2 sec slow, Sabonis 4 pf, Wiggs bricks a FT, he looks way off
2:34:30 Fox good, it's like Luke in the turret: "I can't shake him!"
7m30 Steph 3 from his knee
6m40 Steph fouled on 3 no call
6m25 not enough to overturn, Steph mad no challenge
6m00 JP tech for flailing his arm at James Williams
5m40 JP downhill, but Fox gets downhill so easily
4m50 DPOY steal, comes out later probably tired as heck, for Loon meaning need JP for offense
4m10 Steph no effort 3 ATO
3m40 Fox bad tov we got lucky
3m22 Klay G6!
2m55 Davion throws it away, JP throws it away
2m20 Loon screen foul challenge, looks like Loon is moving
2m05 Fox fadeaway 2 that's what we want
1m40 Wiggs/Dray blocks Sabonis, forget what I said about rust
1m30 Dray tiki to Wiggs
0m50 playoff basketball non-call, good track by Klay
0m33 HB 3 was a 2-for-1?
0m10 Steph push shot may have been fouled but was not a G4 type focus (?)
2:58:00 Bruce: "Steph almost had a Webber"
2:58:30 PAUL WONG WE BELIEVE PLACARD!!!!
3:06:45 why Kerr doesn't use all his timeouts (first time he did?)
3:09:45 Dean comes on, he's my JP downhill 94 feet: "hats off to these Kings"
3:11:15 Dean: "you almost have to beat us 5x now...no reason to take a shot at 10 sec...challenge didn't register as a timeout maybe"
3:13:30 Steph was a little non-master-ish today as in Game 3, but "he came up with shot after shot" per Dean
3:21:30 Dean: "Kings are playing with a great deal of poise but the Warriors experience allows them to understand that the game isn't over yet" (disastrous turnover by Steph)
3:23:00 "Poole gets more to the line than Steph"
STEVE POSTGAME AUDIO
DRAY AND LOON POSTGAME AUDIO
4:32:00 Dean: "not over-reacting" on switching with Fox etc on the last play to Barnes, not going too soon
KLAY AND STEPH POSTGAME AUDIO
5:28:30 LIGHT THE BEAM OVER CHASE CENTER PIC
5:32:00 ENTIRE KLAY POSTGAME VIDEO
5:54:00 ENTIRE STEPH POSTGAME VIDEO
6:11:30 all videos uploaded on YouTube
6:13:15 psychological potholes for the Kings to avoid: that last shot!
6:25:00 Dean Agan: "Makes me wonder what we did to the celtics last year that completely broke them." -- I think it was the defense and when you get stops the way that we can get (Dray Wiggs Klay Steph Loon, we could consider all of our five main guys as All-Defense candidates), it's a testament to our defense, and so I've been waiting for us to break SAC the way we broke BOS
6:27:00 I feel like SAC is playing better than BOS 2022 Finals
6:29:00 Dean: "A crack I see in the Kings was when Monk drove against 2 guys there at the end." -- like Jaylen Freakin' Brown
6:30:00 analyzing Malik Monk on bkref, SAC nabbed him after 37 games played with LAL as a vet min for $9m out of the $10m MLE
BOB MYERS ON 95.7, HOURS BEFORE G5
DISCLAIMER: These are all just notes for my main workflow of YouTube videos, mostly transcribed by me shortly after the interviews and during my coverage of postgame on our livestreams (!). Sometimes I’ll just use what’s tweeted by beatwriters, as listed. The links to the tweets are not available because sometimes I don’t use the full tweet and just having a ton of tweets on this website imo isn’t aesthetically pleasing and gets away from the main goal: transferring information (not so much entertainment) to the brains of DubNation asap.
• Bob Myers on weekly 95.7 The Game interview (no video), on how much we'll see Stephen Curry: "Steve [Kerr] is much more conservative in the regular season, but I think he's aggressive in the playoffs with minutes."
• On when Harrison Barnes took the last shot in Game 4: "I was sitting there in my own mind thinking, ‘If we lose this game, this is gonna hurt.'"
• On the Kings fan ringing the cowbell in his ear (check our channel for the Game 1 behind-the-scenes video at
): "You're allowed to bring cowbells in. That’s what sports is. He’s rooting for his team. Fine. … It’s gonna be worse tonight."
• On seeing shades of former Warriors teams in this year's Kings squad: "They remind me of maybe 2012-13 when we were the six seed and beat Denver and lost to the Spurs. That team had a momentum and a newness and a hunger."
• On being impressed with Draymond's decision to come off the bench: "When I spoke to him, he said, ‘What else would I do?’ … One thing about this guy, the desire to win should never be questioned."
• On Draymond Green coming off the bench in Game 4: Steph Curry really set the tone coming off the bench in the team’s first-round matchup last year. Curry set an example for the team: “if our superstar can do it, so can I.” (Kylen Mills)
• Domantas Sabonis, who battled his own avulsion fracture in his thumb on his non-shooting hand, upon learning of De'Aaron Fox's fractured finger: "I just know he's gonna play. I texted him 'you're playing and we're getting this game'." (Sean Cunningham)
• On losing Game 4 at the buzzer: “We feel like that last one was on us. We felt like we had a chance to win and we came up short.” (James Ham)
• De’Aaron Fox participated in non-contact practice. Fox is still considered doubtful for now. He is wearing splint. He participated in a non- contact practice. (Sean Cunningham, James Ham)
• De’Aaron Fox when asked about Game 5: “I think I’ll be fine… I’m, like, 99, 100 percent playing… There’s no if, ands or buts,” says if it was regular season it would be a likely week or two absence. Feels like he can play given the playoff circumstances. Got x-rays after Game 4. Says says if Game 5 was tonight, he’d be playing, and he can still handle and still shoot. (Sean Cunningham, Jason Anderson, Anthony Slater, Tom Dierberger)
• On the inside of his left finger being bent and chipped: “I don’t think it’s a big deal. But obviously depending on how much it gets hit…the pain will increase. But if it was to stay the exact same way it is now, I’d be fine.” (Anthony Slater)
• Mike Brown on being tied 2-2: “I wish it was 4-0 and we’re moving on, but we’re 2-2. We did what we were supposed to do at home. They did what we were supposed to at home. Now it’s a three game series. Let’s see if we got enough to get it done.” (James Ham)
• Brown says to beat the champs, “we’ve got to knock them out”. (Jason Anderson)
• Davion Mitchell on not being surprised if Fox plays tomorrow: “He’s a dawg.” (NBCSKings)
[Original clips with background music of “Real As It Gets” and “So Ambitious” by Jay-Z available below the paywall at the bottom of this article 👇]
0:00 Stephen Curry x Bruce “Q” Fraser
2:19 JP x Klay to “Real As It Gets” by Jay-Z
4:39 Wiggs to “So Ambitious” by Jay-Z
6:34 more Jordan Poole x Klay Thompson
7:49 Steph ends workout with dunk
7:58 Andre workout
• Andrew Wiggins after practice, day before Game 5, on if he’s ahead of schedule in coming back: “Um, I just wanted to come back and feel like I never left… coaching and training staff got me right.”
• On never being tired, or if there were instances in Game 1 or 2: “for the most part I felt good… did better than I thought I would being out for a couple months.”
• On this team being different in terms of better defense with him and Payton: “I think it’s a true statement. We’ve come a long way. We’ve gotten better… adding GP… made some strides at the right time.”
• On how he get when Payton returned to the team: “I was hyped. I was hyped. GP’s my main dog.”
• On what GP2 brings: “lock up the other team’s best player… create extra possessions for us.”
• On embracing the experience from Games 1 and 2 in Sacramento for Game 5: “crazy atmosphere… loud… physicality of it, the attention to detail… playing our game, dictating what we wanna do.”
• On taking pride in physicality and getting 50-50 balls: “I’m a competitor… help my team… playoffs bring out the best in everybody.”
• On how his legs feel: “I can’t really tell from last year to this year… but I definitely feel like I got my touch back.”
• On Jordan Poole hyping him up and their friendship: “That’s my dawg. We hype each other up… we have confidence in each other… push each other to be better.”
• On if anyone gave Stephen Curry a hard time today for calling a timeout when they didn’t have any: “(Chuckles) Some guys gave him a hard time (chuckles).”
• On who his barber: “In California his name is Price. He’s dope… I try to stay clean (chuckles).”
• On defending Fox: “He’s tough… really good player… making shots, getting to his spot… it’s a team effort, not on one guy. Just gotta continue doing what we’re doing… stay at it, stay aggressive.”
• Steve Kerr after practice, day before Game 5, on how to win a goame on the road: “Take care of the ball and rebound. It’s really that simple… when you look at the tape the number of possessions we gave away… lack of boxing out… with such pace… we took care of the ball and we executed (here at Chase).”
• On what they did today at practice: “A walkthrough and some shooting… high-minute players, we’re just trying to keep off their feet.”
• On Gary Payton II’s health: “He wasn’t quite himself yet (in Game 4), he didn’t quite have the energy. I’ll know he’ll play more tomorrow… feeling better now.”
• On Andrew Wiggins: “Midway through Game 3, it was like okay this is opening night for you… build your wind up… feels like the first week of the season now… played with a lot of force… shooting and rhythm… coming around… we have to have him at both ends to win.”
• On if Wiggins has exceeded his expectations: “I didn’t really know what to expect… ability to get into game shape and game speed… remarkable but pretty good set of genes.”
• On if the challenges this season has made him more well-rounded: “I enjoyed this season… challenges are kind of what coaching is all about… help the players deal with them… I enjoy the process… a better coach now than when I first started… this job it’s really exciting… it can also wear you out… such a good group of guys and such a good run that I still feel really fresh… enjoying all of this.”
• On defending Fox on the last play by Draymond: “Draymond is such a genius defensively. He understands every player’s tendency… where they wanna be. I thought Draymond and Steph… clouded the picture long enough… get the ball out of De’Aaron’s hands.. Draymond… cat and mouse game.”
• On having a lot of options rotationally, many combinations: “the hard part is because Wiggs and Gary weren’t around… we haven’t necessarily solidified rotations… a little tougher in this case… over the years in the playoffs… from game to game they can change… next one, the matchups could change… they’re all sacrificing and staying ready.”
• On why it’s harder to come back on the road: “We’re a different team now… compare… to October, November… Games 1 and 2… despite not playing well… defending in the halfcourt… we’re different now. We’re much better defensively. This is the best offense in the game… more whole with Gary and Wiggs… much more capable of winning on the road… defend and get stops.”
• On how to ensure not having a letdown against an injured star: “Sacramento’s crowd will make sure we won’t let our guard one. They’ll help us… different than January and December… if we let our guard down there’s seriously something wrong.”
• On if anything changes in the way they guard Fox, due to his injury: “No. You just play. The game plan stays the same.”
• On why he likes the split action from the post: “One of the reasons I put that in nine years ago is because… we ran it in the Triangle… the Jazz used to run it with Malone, Stockton and Hornacek… gave me a lot of trouble defensively when we had to guard it… gave me a lot of open looks when we ran it… no-brainer, you have two of the best shooters… Bogut… change the chessboard.”
• On if he’s surprised by the longevity of the split action: “Not really because of anything there’s even more space now… given how good Steph and Klay are off the ball, it makes a lot of sense to take them off the ball and put them in screening actions.”
Loon Jp
• Jordan Poole after Warriors practice, day before Game 5, on a player going through injuries during the playoffs: “you just wanna be out there with your guys and try to give your team the best chance you can to win, whether you’re at a hundred percent, whether you’re at seventy percent… good mental toughness but also have a will to win as many games as possible.”
• On who helps the Warriors players make the final call: “It’s always due to the individual. Of course you talk to the training staff and the coaches… there’s a fine line… negatively impact your team… every possession matters.”
• On Andrew Wiggins: “He’s been fantastic. First game back, it shows that he brings a different dynamic… energy-wise… such a big part of our team.”
• On the Sacramento crowd and if last year’s experience helps: “played in some pretty loud arenas in my life… Boston’s fans but it’s the playoffs… get an open look and 18,000 fans screaming… embrace it… special… always be ready for the moment.”
• On being a different team on the road, with GP2 and Wiggs: “We got a couple pieces that were pretty pivotal… to the culture… we know how important everything matters.”
• On comebacks being harder on the road: “You have 18,000 people screaming at you… when you do something wrong… really tight group, find ways to execute.”
• On Draymond coming off the bench: “(after hhh)… worked out pretty well. 2-and-0 at home… gotta get a big win and I’m just glad we were able to take homecourt.”
• [Inaudible, possibly on the play where he was knocked down then helped up by Donte and Draymond, see our behind-the-scenes video]: “Just try to bring comedic relief to the arena.”
• On Kerr valuing his opinion: “It’s fire, honestly. It’s pretty cool… share your thoughts, your opinions… through the course of practice, shootaround… Steve is a little bit different than the coaches I’ve been used to. It’s pretty cool, honestly.”
• Kevon Looney postgame Game 5 with Jason Dumas of KRON-TV, on how draining this game was: “one possession can change the whole momentum… of the series… everybody’s desperate trying to make plays… definitely draining.”
• On what Kerr told the team at halftime: “Up the physicality… eliminate offensive rebounds, they were winning the possession battle at halftime… Draymond kinda changed it.”
• On Draymond coming off the bench: “How accepting he is… just wanna win. He’s willing to sacrifice his body and… the streak… not just about individuality… about the team.”
• On what it will take to win Game 5: “Warrior basketball… rebounding.”
• Stephen Curry postgame on calling timeout: “I knew we challenged… we didn’t have any timeouts left. Coach… took the blame… I thought it was the smartest play in the world… heady play but it turned out not to be. I looked over at the bench and everybody was shaking their head… good learning lesson… how important how all those details are. We know it but knowing timeouts, knowing the situation, it was just an unfortunate sequence.”
• On Draymond off the bench and on Fox in Q3: “doing whatever it takes to win, everyone being flexible… from the top all the way to the bottom… being ready to play no matter what the situation calls for… the fact that we know each other so well… pick up right where we left off… credit to our one through fifteen… keep the identity.”
• On shooting his shot at 12 or 10 seconds left: “Always a balance… if I make the floater we’re up three with ten seconds left, you like that… make a stop… I live with that decision knowing D.Fox went for a phantom steal… that’s the nature of the playoffs where I analyze that possession, figure out what I could’ve done differently… play to the buzzer.”
• On going into Game 5: “physicality… bottle that up, take it to Sacramento… the possession game is everything in this series because of the pace… turnovers and offensive rebounds… we know we have to win one in that building… might as well be Game 5.”
• On defending Fox at the end: “being one step ahead… bring to me to the pick and roll…. Keep a body on Fox… probably gonna get a shot off so you wanna make it as tough as possible… felt Draymond on my right side… chase HB off the line. He had a clean look… make or miss league and you just wanna think as much as possible through that ten seconds.”
• On Draymond’s suspension reminding them of their culture: “The reminder was being down 2-0… you lose that, the series is pretty much over… he was a monster on defense… disruptor… that’s exactly how we need to play, everybody just being ready… when they’re called to do it. That’s the only way we get out of this seimess s… the at that were built.”
• On how he managed the 43 minutes with Kerr: “It’s the whole routine and process of how you get ready for games… recovering in between games… maximizing the rest when you’re over there. I know my rotation and most likely when you’re coming out… being prepared to play the whole fourth… would’ve done had the game been closer in Game 3… never conversations if I’m playing too much.”
• On scoring 7 straight points after the Kings went on a run: “It might not look like it but I’m always looking for my shot… me not shooting doesn’t mean I’m being passive… double teams and finding shots for other guys… the more you do that over the course of 48 the harder it is to defend… Klay hit some timely ones… I was able to hit one… be aggressive.”
• On what they did to prevent more threes (one attempt towards the end): “they play a certain style that De’Aaron Fox… super-fast, super-talented… Keegan got off… we need to figure out how to slow that down… making them work, sticking to our game plan… they gained momentum… got hot from three and we know in their building if that happens their crowd really gets into it.”
• On what it feels like when things aren’t going their way, surviving or weird? “Every game is just a different challenge… you know teams are coming at you especially this year… whether it’s self-inflicted wounds… (teams got hot)… maintain our composure and not get too rattled… the way they started the fourth quarter early in the year might’ve wrecked us… Achilles heel… untimely turnovers.”
• On the third quarter energy: “a focus of executing on both ends… pace of this series is crazy but when you get stops you can run… keep them off the free throw line… a lot of that was Klay, Klay played amazing that third quarter… and the way we finished that quarter was huge (contrary to this season)… breathing room even though they made their run to start the fourth.”
• On Wiggins having four blocks: “Playoff Wiggs, two-way Wiggs, all the different nicknames… the way that he can influence games not just shooting the basketball… only his fourth game back… find his legs… endurance… chase D.Fox around all game.”
• On Klay driving and kicking: “They turned up the pressure on us to start this game… out to almost halfcourt… the lane was relatively wide open… that domino effect that happens. We love to play that way because the ball will find its way to someone that’s open… another way for us to create good offense… instead of rushing or turning it over or settling. We trust him with the ball in his hands.”
• Kevon Looney postgame oncourt with Kerith Burke, on the urgency of Game 4: “must win, nobody wants to go down 3-1… take that same type of intensity on the road.”
• On the physicality of Sabonis: “probably gonna be All-NBA… it was fun.”
• On Draymond coming off the bench: “Nobody cares about stars, nobody cares about numbers… our camaraderie and our chemistry.”
• More Kevon Looney postgame on the message it sends when Draymond suggests to Kerr he should come off the bench: “camaraderie… level of trust… everybody’s willing to do whatever it takes to win.”
• On if he can sense Steph knowing the game is getting away: “knows when to pick his spots… ultimate command of our team and the floor… decide to go get some buckets… why he is who he is.”
• On having fun: “this is what you dream about, back and forth with the other team… series ain’t over, hopefully goes our, but it’s been a lot of fun.”
• On carrying the energy to the next game: “we got the formula… gotta be ready for that, match their intensity… execute our game plan… get over the hump.”
• On if he’s surprised Wiggins has looked so good: “No… super-athlete… super-human… roll out of bed… do a 360 windmill… tip-top shape.”
• On defending Fox: “talented player… super-fast but he plays under control… try to get him off his spots… arguably will make All-NBA this year… try to slow him down next game.”
• On if he’s already thinking about Game 5: “Nah, not yet… get our minds right. We know how hard it’s gonna be to win on the road.”
• On if they have the psychological edge: “Sure. We got a lot of experience… won a lot of big-time games… great team… great crowd… A game… full 48.”
• On the defense down the stretch: “sprint back and get stops… shows our character and how good we can be… that’s a great offense over there.”
• On the outlet to Steph and the timeout call: “I don’t think anybody knew… group thing… I was actually surprised just like everybody else.”
• On the third quarter energy: “they crashed the boards… having Draymond out there, he completely changes the defense… first half… spacing and pace but our defense was the problem.”
• Draymond Green postgame on coming off the bench: “I missed a bunch of layups… won’t miss those layups… space the floor.”
• On what Bob Myers talked about with him after the game: “Just talking about the end of the game… how I could be better… I’m supposed to trail the play and not leave him on the island (Steph)… gave up a three to Fox… they score a two so be it… we were just talking about that.”
• On going into Kerr’s office after Game 3, and if Steve wanted to start him, would he be disappointed: “No… what could it do to us… let him know if you all mull this decision, make… he called me again yesterday… he was asking me… about X, Y and Z… but how are you gonna feel. Who fucking cares?… it doesn’t matter how I feel… the right thing to do is start the game the exact same way, doesn’t matter how I feel. I appreciate that, the courtesy and respect… winning the game is the most important thing.”
• On this being the chance they’ve been waiting all year, being bad on the road or a switch to flip: “we know what we need to go do and we need to execute that but we’ve known what we needed to do all year… locked in and focused.”
• On the double-technical with Fox: “I’m still here and don’t shit change. Ain’t no tech moving me off my square. Fox felt the need to stand up for his guy… but I’m still here… been this way for 33 years and I pray this will be for 33 more… that won’t just be for basketball… I am who I am… you don’t like it? I’m sorry. Not really… people feeling good.”
• On surviving the wild ending, or was it frustrating? “No. You don’t carry frustrations in the playoffs… it’s the playoffs and every game counts. Whether we win it… you take the win and you move on… what can we learn from that. You learn that I cannot leave the ball… up four… the last thing I can do is give up a three… don’t make the same mistakes… but you don’t walk off complaining with your head down.”
• On a history of guys accepting a bench role, if this is who they are, about the culture: “it’s who we always have been… strictly about winning and about the team and if you are a guy that is not that way you stick out like a sore thumb. For me it was a very easy thing. We won the game pretty handily… that shit don’t work like that… sitting and watching that game I just that was best and I thought that was clear as day… literally a mile away… Steph thought it was the right thing to do and Wiggs. Your time is your time.”
• On if him off the bench could continue: “If that’s what Coach thinks… absolutely… I would have to go watch the tape… gonna play the same amount of minutes I’m gonna play.”
• On switching on to Fox in Q3: “it was very simple. You’re guarding Fox… anytime I have the opportunity to guard a great player… meet force with force… always knew that’s something that we had in our back pocket… very happy… you can’t just give him a steady diet of anything. .. great players eventually figure it out… chess match… who’s gonna pull the card…. Steve.”
• On Klay being vintage two-way Klay: “putting the work in… appreciate the effort… everyone doesn’t get to see… in that weight room every day… continue to get stronger… it’s April, that is who Klay Thompson is… one of the biggest winners… never a doubt whether he’s gonna compete or not.”
• On what he thought when Barnes got the shot: “You gotta make that… Fox … Clutch player of the Year… gotta make somebody else beat you.”
• On how the came back rebounding: “you have to control the physicality department… we controlled it in Game 3… they controlled it in the first half… able to pull it out in the second half… we needed to be better… show other guys what that level of physicality needed to be… just mentioned Klay… physical as hell the entire game.”
• Klay Thompson postgame on the last minute: “It was stressful at times… Steph got a good look, we’ll take that any day of the week… we didn’t stress and I’m really proud of Steph and Draymond on defense at the top of the key.”
• On when HB’s shot missed: “I was nervous. Still my guy.”
• On if this is still on them: “We’re the ones who’ve been here the longest. We gotta expect big minutes this time of year… still trust our depth… Draymond, Steph and I… we did it as a team… give credit to our front office filling out those holes.”
• On the SplashBrothers: “2023? Dang!… I’ve admired Steph long before he was a Warrior… went and saw him… Anaheim (Davidson) against UCLA… be his two-guard for as long as I have been… appreciate his hard work. I see it every day… beautiful family… wise… Steph’s been the same age since 2012… I’ll cherish for the rest of my life.”
• On when he heard Draymond wasn’t starting: “I thought it was a good strategy… Loon and Dray playing very similar… but they’re also great together… I love that DubNation has his back through everything… floor-spacing big man who can guard every position… grateful for Draymond’s unselfishness and his leadership.”
• On Wiggins: “(whistles)… it’s incredible… came back doing what he did. it’s crazy because Wiggs doesn’t look like he doesn’t try very hard… I gotta give everything I have for four blocks in a week… so grateful for Andrew… he’s an All-Star.”
• Steve Kerr postgame podium, on the timeout call: “Steph wasn’t aware so that’s on me… we gotta handle the pressure better… timeout is 100% on me.”
• On if that play was stunning: “Just moving on to the next play. There’s no time to be angry or frustrated… couple of incredible stops… key rebounds… a chance to really break it open… give them credit. Sacramento really hung in there.”
• On the last play by Barnes: “Yeah we wanted to get the ball out of Fox’s hands… got a good look, kinda reminded me of the Wiggs look in Game 1… sometimes it’s just does the ball go in or not.”
• On Draymond’s defense and having him come off the bench: “He hadn’t come off the bench in ten years… he came to me immediately after Game 3… walked in and said what do you think about me coming off the bench. I had already been thinking about it… we always collaborate… Draymond offered it. This is how we’ve approached… Steph… Wiggs came off the bench… Draymond had a great second half… only had one turnover… huge key for us, taking care of the ball… got back to that two-big lineup, Draymond and Loon.”
• On going back to two-big lineup: “Fox… you can’t just doing the same thing if a guy is torching you like that… he’s a handful… getting Draymond on him… got himself going.”
• On continuing with Draymond off the bench: “You’re really cool. I’m not telling you. Nice Vans… The spacing was part of the reason for the turnovers… creates passing lanes… makes the game easier.”
• On if that was more evident with Draymond out: “When you do something well (in playoffs)… stick with it… if it’s not working you gotta try something different… we’ve been through this together for almost a decade… chessboard…”
• On if they should be better finishing games: “We’ll finish better next game… it’s just a matter of taking care of the details… we did some great things down the stretch…. The timeout mess which was my fault and the turnover. All it takes is a couple plays.”
• On when Draymond said he’d come off the bench: “Didn’t surprise me.”
• More Steve Kerr with Kerith Burke on Barnes’ missed buzzer-beater: “man, I just saw this in Game 1 with Wiggs… we got a break, Game 1 they got a break. We’re probably right where we should be.”
• On what the difference-maker will be: “just comes down to executing… best played game by both teams… took care of the ball… both teams shot the ball pretty well… final possession.”
• On Steph playing 43 minutes: “I’d like to get those minutes down but every game calls for something different… ton of pressure on him to start the fourth quarter… ramped his minutes up… he was brilliant… two days to rest.”
• On not having a flight to Sacramento: “tomorrow the guys will get off their feet… both teams will be rested.”
• More Steve Kerr postgame with ABC, on joking with Mike Brown that he changed all his plays: “We didn’t change any of them. Every once in awhile we end up standing next to each other on the court… gave him the business… trying to beat each other up… but you don’t lose sight of the friendship.”
• On having Draymond come off the bench: “It was his idea… came into the office and said I’m ready to come off the bench if you want me to… goes well, you stay with it… still end up playing big minutes… especially second half and was brilliant.”
• On having a beer after the win: “1230 game so today will be day drinking.”
• Jordan Poole postgame on-court on driving: “Yeah just come out and be aggressive. Feeling back to normal… space out the floor… we needed a really big win at home. Our backs are against the wall.”
• On using the noise as fuel: “Half and half. You get to pick… Klay said it’s hard for people to understand if you haven’t been in it… keep our momentum.”
• On winning in Sacramento: “we got momentum… get some rest… lock in… another hard fought win.”
Warriors Steph Curry, Wiggins, Jordan Poole pregame workout b4 Game 4 vs Sacramento Kings (NO SOUND)
• Mike Brown pregame Game 4, on Keegan Murray: “My message has been the same… let it fly… what he’s going through now is invaluable, I couldn’t have scripted it better… hit some adversity… on this level… go through this and figure it out in Year 1… but gotta let it fly.”
• On Matthew Dellavadova helping during huddles: “They’re constantly chattering… he wouldn’t be a frickin’ fantastic coach… huge love for the game… demeanor, intelligence is off the charts. Way better than me… he’s good.”
• On Sabonis and Len matching physicality: “Not just those guys… send a second body to Loon… he’s that good… smart, long, real big and he uses his angles really really well.”
• On how much he’s learned from being on the Warriors staff: “from those players, Steve, the rest of the coaches… other coaches… Bickerstaff… Gurgich… Carlisle… Popovich… whether it’s the way you message your team… (when to practice)… how much film to watch.”
• On finding a voice: “give Dan Gilbert a lot of love. Her hired me at 36… a lot of young coaches in this league and I’m like, man that guy is good… my biggest worry is my grandson… yes, you do mature in a lot of ways… just like any other business.”
• On how to convey how long a series is: “You can talk til you’re blue in the face… our guys just kinda gotta go through all of this… don’t get too high, don’t get too low… they have to feel us… still gotta have a good time… until you actually go through it a few times… we broke the season down into five-game mini-seasons… if you look at 82 games… you’re like, oh man!… we’ve preached from day one try not to look at the whole picture.”
• On their threes: “I like the looks… give Golden State credit… to have a significant role… and get to the next round… they know a lot about us too… players have to have a feel of being able to make different open shots… maybe not used to during the regular season… especially against the NBA champ… now you’re exerting more energy… these shots ain’t gonna be the same… part of figuring it out is going through it… if it catches up to us… get hit in the face with… maybe figure it out Year Two or Three… they’re all great shooters.”
• On how they’re handling the pressure: “eliminate… second chance opportunities… when we do play great defense they’re not getting another crack at it and giving up an extra 25 points… yes I can nitpick from that last game… my biggest complaint was Golden State’s ability to offensive rebound… they’re fine (off the court).”
• On what to tell the team about the physicality: “I can’t tell our guys to back down just like Steve can’t… whoever has the most will, will probably win at the end of the day.”
• On Keegan Murray: “I probably curse at Keegan a lot.”
• On the experience factor with Fox, rising to the occasion: “He’s growing… Game 3, he could’ve had more of a sense of urgency with his ball pressure… for this being his first playoffs, he’s been pretty darn good… two-way player… defend one of their best perimeter players, ie Steph… that’s just the way the cookie crumbles.”
• Steve Kerr pregame Game 4, on Gary Payton II: “We’ll see how the game’s going.”
• On if the rotation choices are difficult and if he wants to reveal any of it: “None of it. More things to consider today… number of people who are capable of contributing… you can ask me about the lm after the game.”
• On if he felt the Kings took away some of his staff a la Silicon Valley: “a lot of layoffs in Silicon Valley so I hope that’s not an omen… a lot of synergies… Vivek… what he learned from here… at the beginning of this run with Steph and Klay… Alvin Gentry, Luke Walton… very strong connection and it makes sense given Vivek.”
• On similar players “They’ve really built their own style. Having Sabonis has given them a fulcrum… reminds me of Andrew Bogut and Mike Brown wasn’t here with Bogut… similarities but that’s also based on personnel… shooting… De’Aaron Fox pushing the tempo.”
• On mental or physical adjustments in Game 3: “taking care of the ball and rebounding… awareness.”
• On more minutes for Stephen Curry, if he looks fresh: “He looks fantastic. It’s remarkable. It’s maybe the most underrated value that Steph brings is his endurance… incredible… on and off the ball, just all the running… defending… takes so much energy… he’s looked great.”
• On Fox and Mitchell defending Steph: “They’ve done a good job… Mike is right… make him work as hard as possible. That’s true of all the great players… historically teams have gone at Steph… it’s not because he’s a poor defender, it’s because they’re trying to wear him out.”
• On conversations in the locker room to keep the momentum: “You keep things very matter-of-fact… film… strategy, add a wrinkle here or there… not a lot of time for big philosophical discussion.”
• On Jordan Poole’s ankle: “I asked him yesterday and he said it was a lot better in Game 3 than Game 2… another couple days between games again so he’s feeling fine.”
• On Kevon Looney, what he means to the system: “Everything… never makes a mistake, one of the smartest players… full awareness of who he is… does his job every night and it’s crucial for us… switching, staying in front of people… every year he’s a feee agent, everybody overlooks him… reminds me of the old Buddy Ryan line about Cris Carter… all he does is catch touchdowns… all Loon does is everything that helps you win… I appreciate Loon more than Buddy appreciated Carter… it’s not flashy and it’s not sexy.”
• On Klay Thompson: “Second half… was the template… drive and kick… we get the ball moving, we get great looks. We can’t fall into the trap of just taking a lot of quick shots.”
• On scheming against Kings’ ball movement: “We have experience in the playoffs trying to take away certain actions… stay physical and put a lot of pressure on the perimeter… the ease of how they dribble handoff.”
• 4.5-min ESPN segment on assistant coach Bruce “Q” Fraser:
• Q played with Kerr at Arizona. Kerr gave him his nickname there. Kerr says, "I actually gave him his nickname. Everything the first week on campus was a question. What time do we have to be here, where do we go for that, where do I get this?" Fraser said, "When I showed up here nine years ago my luggage and my towels and my locker said Q on it. I knew at that point that's who I was."
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