OAKLAND (CBS SF) — When asked to describe the challenges his team faces in Game 3 of their NBA playoff series with Houston, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr fired off a reference to the struggles faced by Jon Snow and his compatriots on ‘A Game of Thrones.’
Kerr is a well known student of popular culture so his answer should not have been too surprising. And it won’t be surprising if social media is filled with “GOT” Warriors memes on Friday afternoon.
“Fire and fury — it sounds like the title of a ‘Game of Thrones’ episode,” he said with a smile. “They (the Rockets) are coming after us, we know that. (They are) a great team, they are competitive and tough. It’s just 2-0. We’ve done a good job of protecting our home court and now it is their chance to respond. We know we got to be ready for the force they are going to be coming with. Home crowd, all that stuff.”
Kerr also understands just how tough winning the NBA Western Conference title will be for a fourth straight time this year. Last year, the Warriors met Houston in the West finals and barely escaped with a win.
“This is pretty unique because Houston is not a team you normally would face in the second round,” he said. “I’m sure they are saying the same thing about us. So we are going to need our full attention, our full effort — fire, intensity, however you want to put it.”
Kerr also knows his squad has lived up to its Warriors name when it comes to playing away from Oracle. They truly are ‘Road Warriors’ having won six straight road playoff contests stemming back to last season.
Golden State has also won at least one road game in each of its last 20 playoff series to set a NBA record.
“No. 1 we’ve obviously had a great team, we got a lot of talent and talent wins in the NBA,” said Kerr when asked about the road success. “Our guys also happen to be very, very competitive. It’s a good combination to have and it’s what made us tough the last few years.”
The Warriors will also benefit from a rare three-day break in the series. Klay Thompson has been nursing a sore ankle and Steph Curry has a dislocated finger and sore ankle. Kevin Durant also has been playing 43-plus minutes a game and Draymond Green nearly 40.
“It (the lengthy break) is a little odd in the middle of a series, generally you get long breaks in between series,” he said. “It’s come at a good time for us, coming off that long series against the Clippers and then the quick turnaround. It’s a good few days for us to get refreshed.”
