The Warriors may be without Stephen Curry, but that hasn't put a damper on Steve Kerr's confidence. The Golden State coach is confident in his team. As he should be. They've won two championships and have made three consecutive trips to the NBA Finals. They won 73 games in a season. They have four stars and arguably the greatest collection of talent in the NBA.
So it's not a shock to see Kerr say that, while the Warriors don't have Curry, they can beat anybody in the NBA during the regular season or playoffs. It doesn't matter because the Warriors have done it before.
The obvious message from Steve Kerr today: Confidence.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) March 26, 2018
"Regular season or playoffs, we can beat anybody without Steph."
The full quote pic.twitter.com/hLuPM9Aeze
"Frankly, I don't need solace. I watched this team two years ago without Kevin (Durant) win playoff games without Steph. We beat Houston in the first round and Steph missed four games. Played part of Game 1 and part of Game 4. Missed most of the series and we won in five. Then we played Portland in the next round and we won the first two games without him. So we know -- and that team was different than now, but we didn't have Kevin Durant. So we're perfectly capable of beating anybody -- regular season or playoffs, we can beat anybody without Steph. It's going to be hard to beat anybody without Steph, K.D., Klay, and Draymond. I'm going to have to coach a lot of better for that to happen. But we're very confident that we'll get these guys back soon and we'll hold down the fort. And then some. I think we'll be able to put something together and really build some momentum. Then the plan would be, at some point, to get Steph back and we'll really get a boost. Then now we're rolling."
Well, it's quite clear that Kerr is confident they'll be able to survive without Curry. This isn't a shot at Curry, or his importance to the team, but a statement on how great the Warriors as a whole are. They have so much talent that even when they lose at two time MVP, they can still hang with the NBA's best.
Kerr doesn't expect Curry to be back by the playoffs. They'll probably play the first round without him if he's right. It will be interesting to see how the Warriors handle life without Curry in an ultra competitive West.