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For the first time in NBA history, two rookie head coaches met in the NBA Finals. However, you wouldn’t have known that by watching Steve Kerr. The confidence and risk that Kerr showed in the moves he made during the Finals is not normally exhibited by a first-year coach.
During the season, Kerr created a culture of unselfishness and trust within the Golden State Warriors and the players believed in him and his decision making. In the Finals, he adjusted the starting lineup, increased minutes for some players and decreased minutes for others. Every decision that Kerr made seemed to be the right one as he thoroughly outcoached David Blatt in this series.
Inserting Andre Iguodala into the starting lineup is the move that stands out to everybody. Kerr sensed that the Warriors were fighting for their season entering Game 4 and knew it was time to shake things up. After moving Iguodala to a bench role before the season started, Kerr decided it was time to go back to the player who started in 63 games for the Warriors the previous year — and had been a starter for his entire 10-year career.
The move changed the entire landscape of the series. While Iguodala was lauded for his hard-nosed defense against LeBron James, it was his impact on the offensive end that really shifted the momentum.
In the first three games of this series, the Cleveland Cavaliers outscored the Warriors in the first quarter by a combined 73-59. In the next three — with Iguodala starting — the Warriors outscored the Cavaliers 81-61. The Warriors’ offense found their rhythm much earlier in the game and forced the Cavaliers to play from behind.
Kerr also made more subtle moves in each game that all worked out favorably. In Game 1, with the Warriors needing a spark, Kerr went to Marreese Speights. Speights hadn’t appeared in a game in almost a month. He responded with eight points in nine minutes and helped the Warriors erase an early 14-point deficit. Speights played a total of seven minutes the remainder of the series.
At the end of Game 3, in the midst of getting blown out, Kerr went deep into his bench and found David Lee. While the Warriors still lost, Lee played great and his presence on the floor helped open things up a little for Stephen Curry to rediscover his shot at the end of that game.
In Game 5, after playing less than 10 minutes in three of the first four games, Kerr gave 17 minutes to Leandro Barbosa. Barbosa scored 13 points on just five shots and hit timely baskets while Klay Thompson suffered through a cold streak.
Finally in Game 6, with the size of the Cavaliers starting to wear on the Warriors, Kerr inserted Festus Ezeli. Ezeli had played just three minutes combined in Games 4 and 5. Yet he chipped in 10 points, four rebounds — three of which were offensive — and high-energy play in just 11 minutes. Kerr also gave Shaun Livingston his largest minute total and Livingston had his best game of the series too.
Every button Kerr pushed in the NBA Finals seemed to be the right one. He knew what players to insert when. He trusted every single player on the roster to be ready when needed, and ready they were. Kerr’s confidence — in both his decisions and his team — is the main reason why each player responded so well when they were called upon. It’s also one of the main reasons why the Warriors are champions.
Derek McVay is a Boston Celtics beat writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @mcvay34, or add him to your network on Google.
