He may not be calling the plays on the sideline quite yet, but Warriors head coach was still able to be there for his team yesterday as they opened up the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs. Kerr has not been with the team since game three of the first round of the playoffs. It is possible that he may not return for the remainder of the playoffs. Kerr has been sidelined by chronic pain that stems from back surgery that he underwent two years ago. He suffered serious complications including leaking of spinal fluid. This is the same injury that caused him to miss the first 43 games of last season.
Kerr has been as involved as possible with his team including watching game film and even attending practice this past Saturday. Assistant coach Mike Brown has taken over the role as head coach for the time being and the Warriors have continued to breeze through the playoffs. The team was undefeated in this year’s playoffs going into yesterday’s game. Unfortunately, they found themselves down 20 points at halftime. Kerr was in the building during the game and met with his team to offer some words of encouragement.
At halftime, Steve Kerr spoke with the @warriors on #NBAonABC pic.twitter.com/q9CNXSGOfd
— NBA (@NBA) May 14, 2017
Whether it was his words or an ankle injury in the third quarter that kept Kawhi Leonard out for the remainder of the game, the Warriors fought their way back and defeated the Spurs, 113-111. It is debatable whether Leonard’s injury was caused by a dirty play by Zaza Pachulia, however, that no longer matters. Everyone is looking towards game two and more importantly the health of Kerr. Opposing coach Gregg Popovich, who is close friends with Kerr, said that he would reach out to his friend to see how he is feeling.
