Mike Brown will still man the sidelines as the Western Conference Finals kick off on Sunday afternoon, but the Warriors will reportedly have the calm and steady presence of their head man Steve Kerr in the building for Game 1 as well.
Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area reported on Sunday morning that the third-year head coach, who has missed each playoff game since Game 2 of the first round series against Portland, plans to be in attendance on Sunday.
Hearing from sources that Steve Kerr plans to be at Oracle Arena for Gm 1 of #Warriors vs #Spurs.
— Monte Poole (@MontePooleNBCS) May 14, 2017
It is unclear whether Kerr will stay in the locker room during the game, or possibly be somewhere else within Oracle Arena. He returned to Warriors practice on Saturday for the first time since taking a leave of absence during the first round of the playoffs. He is still dealing with the repercussions of back surgery he underwent in the summer of 2015 that held him out for the first part of last season. He has suffered severe headaches and other illnesses in the past two years due to spinal fluid leakage.
Although Brown will continue to coach the team for the foreseeable future, he has told reporters he speaks daily with Kerr, who still has a major influence over the team despite his absence. Kerr’s return to Oracle for Sunday’s series opener is undoubtedly welcome news for Golden State. Game 1 against the Spurs will tip off at 12:30 p.m.