LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr joked that he had considered resigning before his team bounced back from a disastrous first half performance to reach the NBA Finals on Monday.
The Warriors recovered from a 15-point deficit in the first half to overpower the Houston Rockets 101-92 and set up a fourth consecutive finals showdown with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
But Kerr admitted afterward his team had been fortunate to escape Houston with the Western Conference crown after a first-half display he ranked as one of the worst he had seen.
Asked what he had been thinking about at the end of the first half, Kerr replied: “I was thinking of resigning, that was my first thought.
“I walked in at halftime, and I said, I don’t even recognize this team. We’ve been together for four years.
“I didn’t recognize the group that we were seeing. But sometimes you forget. Game seven, you get some nerves.
“There is so much nervous energy, but it was really — I don’t know how else to describe it. It was a bizarre half.”
Kerr said his team’s gameplan had fallen apart inside the opening minute.
“We were so scattered, every part of the game plan went out the window in the first 45 seconds, basically,” he said.
“Committed four fouls in 55 seconds, when rule number one is don’t commit any silly fouls, and you have four fouls in 55 seconds, you know you’re not locked in.”
Kerr said the raw talent of the Warriors line-up, with Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and Klay Thompson suddenly clicking, was decisive.
“Our talent took over,” Kerr said. “It’s as simple as that. We’ve got three of the best shot-makers in the league, and they all got hot at different points of the second half.”
© Agence France-Presse
