Steve Kerr and his Warriors have some fun at the critics’ expense
Somehow, Golden State’s back-to-back night wins over Miami and Orlando this week allowed outsiders to pounce, desperately searching for ways to criticize a team that had won 52 of its first 57 games.
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For Oscar Robertson, this meant using the team as lead evidence as to why NBA coaching stinks right now. Others pointed to the clear moving screen violation Draymond Green wasn’t called for prior to Stephen Curry’s game-clinching shot against Miami – a play that we should point out was a make-up call for a terrible and incorrect moving screen call that went against Green a possession before.
Whatever the reason, as Golden State worked its way to Oklahoma City for Saturday’s nationally televised contest against the Thunder, both the team and coaching staff had a little fun with the Big O’s comments.
It starts, as things usually do, with noted wiseacre Steve Kerr. From Fox Sports (via CBS Sports):
“Oh I’m sure, yeah,” Kerr said when asked about Robertson’s suggestion that players from the past could contain Curry better than the players of today. “I could have stopped this back in my time. Boy, I would have shut Steph down.”
Ah, the mirth! Kerr went on:
“Because athletes, you know, 50 years ago were much bigger, stronger and faster, more finely tuned,” Kerr continued. “So Steph might not have made it in the league.”
In Robertson’s defense, he didn’t outright tell the press that he thought his contemporaries could stick to Stephen Curry because of their athleticism, but because they’d be smart enough to “extend the defense” and guard him at the three-point line.
(Now that we think about it, that’s not really in Oscar Robertson’s defense. This was not a good look for Mr. Robertson.)
Perhaps a little punchy while finishing up an extended road trip that has seen the Warriors play ten out of 12 contests away from their home arena since late January (March 1st’s first home game against Atlanta will be Golden State’s first contest back in 21 days), Andrew Bogut (via The Score) decided to pile on while docked in Oklahoma City on Friday, introducing us to what is clearly a dead-set legend in Fat Jimmy:
Steph, because he’s the reigning MVP, took on the challenge:
And then Draymond Green, mindful of the moving screen criticism, sent out further warning to Fat Jimmy.
(Stop sub-tweeting Fat Jimmy.)
The Warriors, in the final night of a seven-game road trip, take on the Thunder on ABC on Saturday evening, in yet another hoped-for contender’s best chance at holding their own while defending the honor of the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls.
As with most things Warriors-y, it will be worth watching, and probably laughing about.
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Kelly Dwyer is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KDonhoops
