Steve Kerr, the head coach of the Golden State Warriors, suffered his first playoff defeat against a Western Conference team in the series against the Los Angeles Lakers
Steve Kerr, the head coach of the Golden State Warriors, suffered his first playoff defeat against a Western Conference team in the series against the Los Angeles Lakers. This loss may lead to a restructuring of the Warriors' roster in the upcoming years.
Steve Kerr, 57, has been coaching the Golden State Warriors since the 2014-2015 season. Prior to this series against the Lakers, the Warriors had a perfect record of 19 wins and 0 losses against Western Conference teams in the playoffs. This means that whenever the Warriors made it to the playoffs, they would always reach the NBA Finals and have won the championship four times.
Despite finishing 6th in the regular season and avoiding the play-in tournament, the Warriors had a tough first-round series against the Sacramento Kings, which went to a decisive Game 7. Looking at the Warriors' core rotation, it is unlikely that they would trade their star player Stephen Curry, whose contract runs until 2026. However, Klay Thompson, one of the "Splash Brothers," could potentially be a target for the team.
According to reports from the US sports media, next year will be the last year of Thompson's contract with the Warriors, earning a salary of $43.21 million. Although the Warriors have the option to re-sign him, there are rumors that the team wants Thompson to take a pay cut.
Furthermore, according to The Athletic, although Draymond Green has a player option for the next season, he must decide by June 30, 2023, whether to exercise it. While the Warriors are interested in re-signing Green, it is uncertain if they will offer him a max contract. If Green becomes a free agent, there are several teams interested in acquiring him.
In addition to the main starters, Jonathan Kuminga, who only averaged 6.3 minutes per game in the series against the Lakers, expressed his desire to be traded to a team where he can have more opportunities, according to his agent.
In the Western Conference semifinals, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the defending champions, the Golden State Warriors, with a final score of 122-101. They will now face the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals. The Lakers had a 3-2 advantage before the game, and they outperformed the Warriors in various aspects. LeBron James had 30 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists, while Anthony Davis contributed 17 points and 20 rebounds despite leaving the game due to an injury. Austin Reaves scored 23 points, shooting 4 out of 5 from three-point range, leading the Lakers throughout the game. Despite Stephen Curry's game-high 32 points, Klay Thompson struggled, and the Warriors only made 13 of their 48 three-point attempts.
The Lakers took a slight lead of 31-26 in the first quarter and continued to dominate in the second quarter, with the Warriors struggling to find their shooting rhythm. The "Splash Brothers," Curry and Thompson, only scored a combined 20 points in the first half. The Lakers, on the other hand, were led by LeBron James, who scored 15 points in the first half, including a three-pointer. Austin Reaves hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer from beyond half-court before halftime, energizing the crowd and giving the Lakers a 56-46 lead. In the second half, the Lakers extended their lead with more three-pointers from Reaves and a contribution from D'Angelo Russell.
The Warriors, who have had a poor away record this season, struggled in the third quarter. With 6 minutes and 20 seconds remaining in the third quarter, both teams received technical fouls after a confrontation under the basket, resulting in the ejection of the Lakers' Dennis Schroder. The Lakers entered the fourth quarter with a 91-77 lead, and although the Warriors showed some improvement, Draymond Green faced foul trouble, and Rui Hachimura blocked Klay Thompson's shot. With more than 8 minutes left in the fourth quarter, there was already a 20-point difference between the teams, securing the victory for the Lakers. The 7th-seeded Lakers, who eliminated the 2nd-seeded Memphis Grizzlies in the first round, will face the top-seeded Denver Nuggets on the 17th of this month. This year's NBA playoffs have seen rare occurrences of lower-seeded teams reaching the conference finals in both the East and West.
In the earlier matchup, the 8th-seeded Miami Heat eliminated the New York Knicks and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals.