A comment Kevin Durant made about the Golden State Warriors’ offense was interpreted by some as a shot towards Steve Kerr, but the head coach does not see it that way. Rather, he agrees with Durant.
During an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Durant said Kerr’s offense only works to a certain extent.
“The motion offense we run in Golden State, it only works to a certain point. We can totally rely on only our system for maybe the first two rounds. Then the next two rounds we’re going to have to mix in individual play,” Durant said.
A lot of people wanted to point a finger and say “ooh, shots fired!” but not even Kerr sees it that way.
“I wasn’t at all offended what Kevin said because it’s basically the truth,” Kerr told The Athletic’s Anthony Slater. “You look at any system, I mean, I played the triangle with Michael Jordan. The offense ran a lot smoother all regular season and the first couple rounds of the playoffs than it did in the conference finals and Finals. It just did.”
Kerr continued: “That’s why guys like Michael Jordan and Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant are who they are. They can transcend any defense. But defenses in the playoffs, deep in the playoffs, combined with the physicality of the game — where refs can’t possibly call a foul every time — means that superstars have to take over. No system is just going to dice a Finals defense up. You have to rely on individual play. I didn’t look at (his comment) as offensive. I look at that as fact.”
Durant was correct. Kerr is smart enough not to be offended. All is well.
And if you’re wondering how or why Kerr has been so successful as a head coach, just look at this answer. He doesn’t get offended, he doesn’t get outraged, he’s smart and reasonable, and understands that adapting and having stars are critical to achieving the highest level of success.
Durant made some other headlines with his comments in that interview, including his remarks about Oklahoma City Thunder fans and what he said about “full acceptance.”
