The Warriors were in a tough spot and Steve Kerr needed to get a message through to one of his superstars.
So during a timeout in Game 5 against the Rockets in the Western Conference Finals, Kerr pulled Kevin Durant aside and shared a story about Phil Jackson asking Michael Jordan to trust his teammates during a playoff game. The point of the story was to encourage Durant to pass the ball to his teammates.
Kerr was wearing a microphone and TNT caught the entire exchange. They aired the conversation later during that game.
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Apparently, there are some that didn't like that that conversation got out. According to the Washington Post, TNT deleted the clip after posting it to Twitter.
You can watch it here:
Why is this relevant more than a week later? Durant was asked Saturday afternoon about the criticism that conversation has received and didn't agree.
"I really enjoyed that conversation, having someone that was that close to the legend Michael Jordan tell me and feel confident that, I guess, we were in similar positions at the moment, made me feel good about myself, that he could relate that moment to Michael Jordan. I always enjoy those stories from Coach Kerr, from Mike Brown, from guys that have been in the league so long, to share those experiences from the greats and the guys that did it before. I really really appreciated that moment. I needed it as well. It's good to get a reminder from guys that are successful in the league, whether it's now or back in the past, especially, to give you some advice when you need it," Durant told the media at Oracle Arena.
Golden State Warriors
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Game | Result/Schedule |
---|---|
Game 1 | Warriors 124, Cavs 114 (OT) |
Game 2 | Oakland -- Sunday, June 3 at 5pm |
Game 3 | Cleveland -- Wednesday, June 6 at 6pm |
Game 4 | Cleveland -- Friday, June 8 at 6pm |
Game 5 | Oakland -- Monday, June 11 at 6pm |
Game 6 | Cleveland -- Thursday, June 14 at 6pm |
Game 7 | Oakland -- Sunday, June 17 at 5pm |