Steve Kerr and Kevin Durant usually sing from the same song sheet but they sound out of sync as the NBA playoffs approach.
The Golden State Warriors coach and superstar forward offered contrasting views of the effort the team showed Thursday night in their 126-106 loss to the Indiana Pacers. Kerr believes the Warriors, who already have clinched the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, simply didn’t care about beating the Pacers, and it showed in the heavy defeat.
“Caring, in general, was the main problem,” Kerr said, per ESPN’s Chris Haynes. “Just trying, cutting hard, driving, maybe boxing out once in a while. Just in general, it’s hard to win an NBA game if you don’t put forth an effort at all.”
Durant, who scored a team-high 27 points, disagreed with Kerr’s viewpoint of the Warriors’ effort.
“Nah, I thought we cared tonight,” Durant said. “We cared. Over the last few games, we cared. …They came out with a better strategy, being more aggressive than us. … I think we care. I think everybody in this locker room cares about playing ball. I disagree with that, but I understand what he’s doing.”
The Warriors have just three games remaining in the regular season.
Sports teaches us the dangers of inconsistent effort. Perhaps Kerr is sounding the alarm over what can happen to his team if it doesn’t adopt the playoff mentality before the postseason begins.
