Steve Kerr healthy enough to coach Game 2 and 'the rest of the series'
Steve Kerr will coach Game 2 of the 2017 NBA Finals on Sunday night. After missing the previous 11 playoff contests due to ongoing complications from his botched 2015 back surgery, Kerr will be on the sideline as the Golden State Warriors’ head coach.
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In relieving assistant coach Mike Brown, who ran up an 11-0 record as Warriors interim head sideline chief, Kerr got right to the point in a discussion with NBA TV’s David Aldridge:
“Mike just wasn’t getting the job done. The numbers are deceiving, don’t pay attention to the record. The team was falling apart.”
Steve Kerr is a kidder. He went on:
“I just feel better. The last couple of weeks have been better, I’ve been leading practice every day – doing the coaches sessions and film meetings, and put together a few good days.”
This could last beyond Sunday’s Game 2:
“The intention is to coach tonight and the rest of the series. I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t think I could do it. I’m feeling better, more back to where I was during the regular season. I coached every game in the regular season, didn’t always feel great, but I was able to do it.
I’m better than where I was a couple of weeks ago, and I’ve put together a couple of good days, so let’s go.”
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From his presser, prior to Game 2:
Kerr missed the first 43 games of the 2015-16 season as his Warriors defended their 2015 title, and he continues to fight headaches, nausea and at-times overwhelming pain resulting from a spinal fluid leak suffered during the 2015 back surgery.
The Warriors lead the 2017 NBA Finals 1-0 leading into Sunday’s Game 2.
Game 3 (and Kerr’s suggested permanence) tips off on Wednesday in Cleveland at 9 p.m. ET.
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Kelly Dwyer is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at KDonhoops@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
