Winning in the NBA, even if it’s the regular season, is not automatic. Ask the Cleveland Cavaliers right now. Ask die-hard Warriors fans who rode with the team in the early 2000’s.
That’s why tonight, Steve Kerr needs to be celebrated. He’s made winning automatic in the Bay Area. Or maybe even more this: he’s made losing unacceptable.
Kerr became the fastest coach in NBA history to reach 200 wins Tuesday with a 113-106 victory over the Houston Rockets, the Warriors’ third straight season with 60-plus victories. Kerr became the fastest coach in any of the four major sports to secure 200 wins, surpassing Frank Chance, Don Shula and Dan Bylsma’s records. He eclipsed his mentor Phil Jackson’s record of 270 games and Kerr’s regular season record now stands at 200-38 in close to three seasons with the Warriors. Unfathomable. The records aren’t stopping anytime soon, either.
Milestones like this are a pertinent time to reflect how fortunate the Warriors are to have a a certified basketball genius commanding the floor. Most true dynasties are rooted with a Hall of Fame head coach who players will follow blindly — Bill Walsh and Bruce Bochy come to mind. He still has a ton to accomplish, but Kerr is that guy in Golden State. He says the right things. He does the right thing. He absorbs blame. He allows Draymond Green to be a distraction when necessary and he even ignites his temper to spark the team when it calls for it. He’s created a brand of basketball other teams want to emulate. The Celtics and Rockets are thriving using some of his principals.
Joe Lacob pulled the former Phoenix Suns GM out of the TNT broadcast booth for his first-ever coaching job and the balls of steel move honestly changed basketball forever. As soon as Kerr walked through the doors at the Oakland Marriott, the Warriors went from a playoff contender to a world championship team capable of knocking off LeBron on their first try. Kerr created a culture where credit doesn’t matter. The honest way he communicates gives players confidence. Nearly all of his decisions — bringing Andre Iguodala off the bench right off the bat — have worked out in the favor of this franchise. It’s been incredible to watch it all unfold. Players like Zaza Pachulia take pay cuts to come play here. That’s the expectation now.
His greatest accomplishment as a coach that’s not related to breaking records or winning a title? Steph Curry and Draymond Green saw heightened career arcs directly correlated to Kerr’s arrival. Are they this good without Kerr implementing a free flowing offense and switching system on defense? Entirely debatable, but probably not. Curry could’ve ended up being compared to Reggie Miller instead of Michael Jordan. Draymond Green’s skill set as a passer is often the key to what the Warriors do and another coach might’ve not been able to uncover that. Kerr took a talented roster and turned it into a potential dynasty that’s already etched into basketball’s history — Game 7 loss to Cleveland last year included.
“I inherited a hell of a team,” the always humble Kerr said post game to reporters in Houston. “I’m lucky.”
It helped tremendously that Kerr played with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. Winning three championships gave Kerr the type of credibility most coaches never see in a professional locker room. Everyone knows the story of Jordan punching Kerr in the face during a practice. Players instantly respected him. So did other coaches around the league. So did human beings, who often ask Kerr to run for political office on Twitter.
Not everything has been seamless. Fans got frustrated with his trust in Harrison Barnes and Anderson Varejao. This season it’s been a lack of pick-and-roll play calls for Steph Curry. Unless the Warriors go 74-8 one year — not out of the question with Kerr and the gang here — there will always be something to nitpick about. Kerr himself has broken a few clipboards along the way.
Praising Kerr often goes unaccounted for, but he deserves a celebratory cake tonight. It should be noted 39 of those wins were credited to Kerr even though Luke Walton commanded the helm — although Walton said his entire coaching style is derived off of Kerr’s. The scary part? Steve Kerr is still learning how to coach in the NBA. This is the first regular season the Warriors have paced themselves. This is the first time they won’t lead the league in 3-pointers made. The Warriors are evolving and Kerr is ever so slightly pulling strings to fine-tune this beast.
Some pundits say coaching barely matters in the NBA. In Golden State it does.