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Steve Kerr didn’t skimp on how he coached against the Phoenix Suns.
After the Warriors lost 125-113 to the Suns at Chase Center Tuesday night, Kerr didn’t hesitate to prepare, or under-prepare, his team against Phoenix.
“I take responsibility for that,” Kerr told reporters after the game.
Kerr said he must do a better job as the Warriors’ coach at giving the team a wake-up call and not letting them sleepwalk against a Suns team that has lost countless starters.
“I have to do a better job to give them the slap Phoenix gave us in the first quarter,” Kerr said. “These games always go like this. We have a lot of starters on the team and I can’t wait to get everyone out there who doesn’t usually play a lot.”
With a nearly full Warriors squad in hand, Kerr has another problem: Seeing what lineups work and trying to find the right combinations that lead to victory.
“So I think the combination of that dynamic and trying to get some guys back and find a rhythm gave us a really slow start,” Kerr added. “But sometimes in this league you forget how hard it is to win games, so I loved the fact that we were competing in the fourth quarter and fighting like crazy.
“It’s really hard to win an NBA game and that’s the difference between winning and losing.”
The Warriors trailed by 19 points, 98-79 to start the final frame. But Golden State pulled back and cut the deficit to his 6, 119-113 with just over a minute left in him.
However, Phoenix stringed together a 6-0 run to seal the match. Despite trailing 27 points in the third quarter, Kerr hopes the team’s efforts in the fourth quarter will generate forward momentum.
“So I hope that fourth quarter was the team I came to know, love and appreciate,” Kerr said. “But you have to show that in Q1, not Q4. It’s my job to get that out of them.”
After starting an eight-game homestand at 5-0, the Warriors (20-21) have dropped their last three contests and are below .500 this season. Now, Golden State embarks on his five-game road trip with the San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards, Boston Celtics, and Cleveland Cavaliers.
RELATED: What we learned when Steph’s return was wasted in a terrible loss to the Suns
Halfway through the season, the Warriors have run out of time to figure out who they are as a basketball team.
Given that Kerr is leading the way in putting together the Golden State puzzle, Warriors fans are hoping the puzzle will be solved soon.
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