Steve Kerr: Warriors were ‘soft,’ not ready to play

From Steve Kerr’s perspective, it’s easy to explain what went wrong in Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday that led to his Golden State Warriors being blown out by 30 points by the Cleveland Cavaliers, 120-90.

Kerr says it’s a simple matter of the Warriors being “soft” to start the game and not coming out ready to play compared to the Cavaliers.

“We weren’t ready to play,” Kerr said after the game. “Obviously they just punched us right in the mouth, right in the beginning. We were turning the ball over like crazy. Soft. We were extremely soft to start the game, and they set the tone with their intensity. I think it was 9-0 and we had to call a timeout. Steph (Curry) got beat backdoor, a couple turnovers … just a horrible way to start.

“It’s going to take more than an effort like that to win a Finals game against a great team.”

Kerr was asked about Curry’s play and said the MVP “didn’t play well.” The numbers reflect that, as Curry had just 19 points and committed six turnovers in 31 minutes.

Kerr, who was visibly frustrated after the first quarter, was able to get his team to close the margin to eight at halftime, but the Cavs built up their lead in the second half.

Just when many thought the series was over after the Warriors slammed the Cavs by 33 points in Game 2, Cleveland turned it around. Asked to account for the 63-point swing between Games 2 and 3 of the Finals, Kerr said he wasn’t surprised.

“It’s the NBA. This is just how it is,” said Kerr. “Most of the teams in the league are pretty equal in talent. … When you get to this level, everybody’s got talent. Every team you go against has great talent. Every player in the NBA is a great player. If you let your guard down and the other team is angry, you can see this kind of turnaround. It’s happened every series for us. That’s the way it goes.”

Game 4 of the series will be on Friday, and the Warriors are unlikely to have their guard down in that one after getting blown out on Wednesday night.