Golden State’s 116-108 win over Oklahoma City on Saturday was the 41st-straight home victory for the Warriors and moved them to 46-4 on the season — tying the 1966-67 76ers for the best record through 50 games. But it didn’t come easy, at least according to head coach Steve Kerr.
“‘Bout time we got a close game to play in,” Kerr told his team during a mic’d up portion of the ESPN broadcast. “This is fun. Let’s execute down the stretch.”
Sure, it was one of those moments when the head coach knows he’s mic’d up and plays to it, but he’s not saying anything revelatory. Fans don’t get a whole lot of information from those sessions anyway, even if they make us laugh. Those moments, coupled with in-game interviews, are typically nothing more than space fillers for a broadcast; except, we learn how much we love Gregg Popovich. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. It’s just the way it is.
That said, Kerr’s not entirely wrong. The Warriors are the highest-scoring team in the league and second only to San Antonio in point differential (+12.6). This is a team chasing the ’95-’96 Bulls for the best regular-season record in NBA history. When Stephen Curry has an off night, Draymond Green records a triple-double. So, yeah, it’s not like the Warriors have been through a grinder lately.
That makes Kerr’s comments all the more hilarious because they’re true.