Steve Kerr returns to coach Warriors in Game 2 of the NBA Finals
Steve Kerr will be back on the bench for the Golden State Warriors in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday. Kerr, who hasn’t been on the bench since the Warriors’ first-round series against the Blazers, has dealt with complications from back surgery he had two years ago.
Assistant coach Mike Brown has filled in for Kerr during his absence as the Warriors have gone undefeated in the postseason. Golden State hopes to take a 2-0 series lead over the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday.
Kerr said before Game 2 that he hadn't let his players know that he'd be making his comeback Sunday.
“They’ve been informed throughout the process,” Kerr told reporters. “They know I’m doing better. I’ve been kind of giving them updates. We didn’t have a shootaround this morning. I didn’t send out a group text. I’m just gonna go in there. They probably already know because they’re all on their phones all the time.”
Kerr also said his intention is to coach the rest of the series.
Kerr coached Game 2 against the Blazers in the first round but began suffering symptoms from back surgery that included debilitating headaches and nausea, forcing him to miss more than a month of Golden State's playoff run. The Warriors haven't missed a beat in Kerr's absence, steamrolling through the first three rounds of the postseason and beating the Cavs by 22 points in Game 1 of the Finals.
Kerr, the NBA's reigning coach of the year, has guided the Warriors to the Finals three consecutive seasons. He missed Golden State's first 43 games of the 2015-16 season due to complications from the back procedure. The Warriors went 39-4 in that span and eventually set the NBA's regular-season record with 73 wins.
