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NBA FINALS: CLEVELAND VS GOLDEN STATE

June 12, 2017

Steve Kerr

Oakland, California: Pregame

Q. Do you feel any extra pressure to win this game because you're up 3-1 and what happened last year?
COACH KERR: Probably not as much pressure as they do.

Q. Yeah, I mean, of course.
COACH KERR: Just doing the math (laughter).

There's always pressure. It's The Finals. There's pressure on both teams. A lot at stake.

We're in a great position. We know that. Didn't perform well in Game 4. We got to play better. That's all.

Q. Draymond has not really played to his customary level in a couple of different areas in these Finals here. Have you been able to put a finger on what's going on? Is it mental, physical, a little bit of both?
COACH KERR: I think Cleveland is doing some things to try to take away his strengths. They know he's a playmaker. They're not letting him get to his spots in the pocket to make plays in the paint, and he likes to do that. They're trying to make him be more of a jump shooter. And that's OK. That's all part of it.

It's hard. The Finals are hard. It's the two best teams in the league, and both teams are trying to take things away from each other. So you have to adapt. And that's what we have talked about the last couple of days, how can we counter some of that stuff.

Q. One of his strong points is his decision-making, and there's been a few times this series where it looked like he's trying to force it a little bit. Do you see that?
COACH KERR: A little bit, early especially. In transition, he had a couple plays where he left his feet and turned it over first couple games. But he's fine. He gets it. Especially this time of year, whatever it takes, and it's our job as a staff to help each guy figure out where they can make an impact.

So we have some ideas for him to try to continue to make an impact. And the biggest thing, though, is just being himself, defend like crazy, and be that defensive menace that makes him who he is.

Q. Kevin Durant has had a very low-key attitude throughout this whole series and keeps repeatedly talking about staying in the moment. In some way, is that a message that is going to rub off on the rest of the team tonight, especially in the situation being similar as it was to last year?
COACH KERR: I think every player has to get himself ready, based on his own personality. That's what seems to calm Kevin, just to talk about the moment and being pretty loose and relaxed. That's good for him.

For us as a team tonight, we have to be more on edge. I hope we're a little more nervous. We didn't seem that nervous in Game 4. Nervous is good. Appropriate fear is the Gregg Popovich line. You need that. And when we come out the beginning of Game 4 and lose shooters and turn the ball over carelessly, we're obviously not ready. So I would hope we're more ready, more prepared tonight.

Q. There was a lot of talk about physicality, that they pushed you around a little bit in Game 4. Was that justified, those discussions? And, two, can you match up physically with them?
COACH KERR: Absolutely. Being physical isn't just about pushing and holding and grabbing. It's about fighting over a screen. It's about playing the game plan the way you're supposed to, knowing personnel and being a step ahead of the game.

When you fight over the screen, if the screener grabs you, the ref is going to call it. If you die into the screen and the screener grabs you, they're not going to call it.

We were dying into a lot of screens. We didn't deserve a lot of calls the other night. They were the aggressor. Every time, in my experience in The Finals, when you have one team that's much more aggressive than the other, things tend to go their way. Cleveland earned everything the other night.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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