On Tuesday, the Golden State Warriors suffered a 33-point loss to the Boston Celtics. In their win, the Celtics showed glimpses of the team they are capable of being.
The large loss was an “out of character” loss for the Warriors and their head coach Steve Kerr realizes it. After the game, Kerr spoke with the media to discuss the Warriors’ potential issues.
“We were not flying around. We were not giving the sort of effort it takes to win an NBA game,” Kerr said. “The other stuff, I’ve got to do a better job in making sure we are in the right defensive schemes and get the right combinations on the floor. It’s a group effort and I’m the coach, so I’ve got to make sure I’m doing my job.”
Kerr went on to say that the Warriors need to play with anger.
“It starts with a passion, an anger, an intensity, and it wasn’t there tonight,” Kerr said.
Warriors forward Kevin Durant heard Kerr’s comments during his press conference. He disagreed with Kerr’s remarks.
Kevin Durant asked about Kerr saying the team needed to play with more anger: “I thought we moved off joy. Now anger? I disagree with that one.” pic.twitter.com/M7o4nFDori
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) March 6, 2019
“I thought we, um, move off of joy,” Durant said. “Now anger?”
Durant said that he disagreed with the statements and Warriors must get better.
“I disagree with that one,” Durant said. “We’ve just got to all around, top to bottom, coaches and players, we’ve just got to be better.”
The Warriors remain on top of the Western Conference. They have a record of 44-20.
On Saturday, the Warriors beat the Philadelphia 76ers 120-117. Their win over the Sixers came after a two-game losing streak where they lost to the Miami Heat and the Orlando Magic. Then, they lost to the Celtics and face the Denver Nuggets on Friday. The Nuggets have the second best record in the West and are 1.5 games behind the Warriors.
The Warriors’ recent losses are alarming, but they are missing Klay Thompson. Thompson injured his knee last week and missed the last two games. Thompson is also questionable for Friday’s game. Once Thompson returns, the Warriors can start getting back to their normal selves. Regardless of if it is the ‘anger’ Kerr wants or the ‘joy’ Durant wants, the Warriors can get back on the right page in time for their playoff journey.
Featured image of Getty Images
You can like The Game Haus on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from great TGH writers along with Davion.