
OAKLAND -- Yeah, Steve Kerr heard it.
Heard that Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey, in a radio interview Thursday, concede that his team is “obsessed” with beating the Warriors.
And Kerr’s response Friday afternoon was befitting of the man who coaches the defending champs.
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“I think about what I’m going to have for breakfast,” Kerr said prior to tipoff against the Lakers. “I also think about lunch, what we’re going to do at practice and what movie my wife and I are going to watch that night.
“There’s plenty of time to think about the Rockets and the Spurs and Cleveland and everybody else who’s challenging us. And it’s a good position to be in, knowing people are thinking about us.”
The Warriors do have the Rockets in the back of their minds, though. It’s why they want to test the front line of Jordan Bell, Draymond Green and Kevin Durant, which will make its debut Friday night against the Lakers. There are legitimate questions about how effective Zaza Pachulia would be against Houston should the teams meet in the postseason.
The Warriors have beaten the Rockets twice over the past three postseasons, taking them down in the 2015 Western Conference Finals and in the first round the following season.
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But the Rockets under Morey have rebuilt, twice, and entered Friday with a half-game lead over the Warriors in the West and, also, for the best record in the league.
The hunt is on, according to Morey.
"It's the only thing we think about," Morey said on The Ryen Russillo Show on ESPN. "I think I'm not supposed to say that, but we're basically obsessed with 'How do we beat the Warriors?’
"Last year, the Spurs knocked us off, so we're very worried about the Spurs. They're always one step ahead of every organization and guard us better than anyone. But we calculated it -- it's like 90 percent if we're going to win a title, we've got to obviously beat the Warriors at some point. So we're extremely focused on that. A lot of our signings and what we do during the year is based on that."
The primary additions this summer were point guard Chris Paul and forwards PJ Tucker and Luc Mbah a Moute, both of whom are solid defenders but also provide a threat from beyond the arc.
The Warriors entered Friday with a 25-6 record, averaging an NBA-best 116.2 points per game. Their 113.5 offensive rating is No. 2 in the league.
The Rockets entered at 25-5, averaging 115.3 points. They’re offensive rating of 113.6 is No. 1. Houston beat the Warriors on opening night, coming back from a 16-point third-quarter deficit to take a 122-121 victory at Oracle Arena.
“They’ve been great,” Kerr said. “They made some really good offseason additions. They’re better defensively and, obviously, Chris Paul gives them a different dimension. They’ve been destroying everybody. They’ve got a hell of a team.
“But I don’t wake up in the morning thinking about them.”
The teams next meet on Jan. 4 in Houston.