Coach Steve Kerr Returns Courtside; Warriors Keep Winning

On Friday night, Warriors’ head coach, Steve Kerr returned to the bench for the first time since last year’s NBA Championship win against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Cleveland.

On a night when Pacers star Paul George was held to 12 points on 5-for-15 shooting, the IN bench kept the game close by outscoring its Golden State counterparts 60-35. The rule does not say the same team can’t be represented in consecutive seasons, which is why Golden State’s interim coach, Luke Walton, seemed on track to draw All-Star honors before today’s announcement that Kerr would return.

He was back on the sideline, coaching again, introduced along with his Warriors players before Kerr’s first game this season after missing the first 43.

Speaking of coaches, it’s ironic that Kerr is back at the helm on the same day as another coach that got the ax!

Oklahoma City All-Star forward Kevin Durant sank a free-throw jumper with 54.8 seconds left to make it a three-point lead.

“I was confident all along that I’d be back”, Kerr said at a press conference on Friday.

Then, as the Warriors went through a flat period or two, or when Kerr protested a call or two, he got up, yelled a few things and called a few timeouts.

Perhaps the most remarkable aspect about the Warriors remarkable, record-chasing season this year is that they are doing it with a backup coach.

Argentine veteran Manu Ginobili scored a season-high 20 points and Kawhi Leonard added 18 for the Spurs, who improved to 38-6.

Golden State made 10 of its first 14 shots, four of those by Green and two 3-pointers by Curry to go ahead 25-8 on the way to a season sweep of the Pacers. “It feels like the first game of the season, which it is for me”.

Curry will start the game for a third straight season.

But after a high-scoring affair on Friday, and playing on the second night of a back-to-back, it will bear watching whether or not IN has the legs to get out on the break against a Kings team that has been lighting up teams over the past four games. Overall, the Warriors look like they’ve done their homework and are ready for their big test. On Monday, hopefully it’ll be Kerr showing one of his teachers just how much he’s learned.

“I thought we played a good basketball game”, Vogel assessed.

When the interview ended quickly, Walton handed Kerr back the play-board, but Kerr said he insisted that Walton draw something up.

The Jazz won for the fourth time in 12 games and only the second time in 12 road games by placing all five starters in double figures, controlling the paint by a 54-42 margin and getting 11 dunks.