Steve Kerr expects a hellish reception from Boston Celtics fans

With just over a month left before the start of the 2024/25 NBA regular season, Steve Kerr granted an interview to Steve Aschburner of NBA.com. The coach of the Golden State Warriors discussed the current state of his team, his expectations for this basketball year, and revisited some moments from the 2024 Paris Olympics, where they secured the gold medal by defeating France, the hosts, in the final.

NBA.com: So, this has been quite a quick return for you.

Kerr: Ahh, much better than last summer. Last summer, the World Cup ended on September 12th. We had, like, two weeks, and it felt like... This has been great. I've been free the past few weeks and relaxing.

Did you enjoy it?

Yes. I enjoyed it because we won.

Is it as binary as that?

Unfortunately. The thing is, if you win, you can enjoy it afterward. When you're in the middle of it, you do enjoy it. But there's also that lingering feeling of "If we lose...", which would ruin the experience. When you win, you free yourself from that feeling of "Ah, man, I could have done this or that." Then you win and think: "Wait, we were in Paris for three weeks?"

How does winning the Olympic gold compare to pursuing and winning an NBA championship?

It's equally gratifying. But entirely different in that it's a five-week sprint. You're coaching guys you've been competing against. I loved meeting these guys. LeBron [James] was incredible, just in his preparation. His commitment in every practice and every meeting was amazing.

Across the roster, these guys are superstars in their own right, and seeing them sacrifice is inspiring.

Like when many people's opinion of Carmelo Anthony changed due to his team play in previous Olympics.

It gives the guys a chance to showcase themselves in a different way. I mean, Kevin Durant—having coached him both in the NBA and in the Olympics—it's easy to see why he loves it so much. He's all about the game, all about the work.

There's something special about a five-week journey, trying to come together as a group, with nobody really caring about the stats. The media doesn't talk much about it. And it's just pure basketball. Kevin's passion is the game itself and the work, and he loves the whole process.

I was wondering if these players—because they are famous, highly paid, and function as conglomerates on their own—experience the same fundamental joy and satisfaction from an Olympic experience. Even patriotism, when many are global "brands." What do you think?

I think there's a real sense of pride. You saw our guys on the gold medal podium with their hand over their heart. It was a genuine display of affection for our country. It's very moving to have that sense of "Wow, we're representing our country." I think it's a real emotion.

How did you leave things with the guys who didn't play much, specifically Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton?

Those guys were great. Jayson handled things very well. Then, obviously, it became a media thing, but he couldn't have handled it better. Tyrese, the same. Every game was different. And we talked about that from the first night: 12 superstars and probably only nine can play consistent minutes.

They conducted themselves very professionally and supported each other. I couldn't be prouder of all of them.

So, when you go to Boston this season on November 6th (7:30 ET, ESPN), how do you think the Celtics fans will receive you?

I think they're going to be all over me. [laughter]. And that's fine.

What did you learn about the Warriors last year that will be useful this fall?

First and foremost, winning 46 games is—usually—a good season. You win 46, and you're probably the 5th seed. But given how deep the West is, we finished as the 10th with 46 wins and lost in the Play-In. The conference is so loaded. But what I took from last season is that we're still very competitive. We still have the chance to have a great year, to do some damage. Steph and Draymond are still playing at a high level. And although we hate losing Klay, we feel we have a lot of young players ready to take on bigger roles.

Is there more opportunity to win with Steph and Draymond or an obligation to win for them?

The only thing Draymond and Steph will tell you is that this organization has never let them down. Joe Lacob, to his credit, has spent every dollar every year trying to make this team great. The rosters that have surrounded Steph and Draymond, both will tell you they couldn't ask for more.

And despite how many "obstacles" the league structurally imposes in the CBA, in terms of luxury tax restrictions?

Yes, this is the toughest roadblock so far with the current CBA. Our front office swung for the fences this summer and tried to land a star. It didn't happen. But that's fine. The situation, where it ended, we had a good summer adding Kyle Anderson, De'Anthony Melton, Buddy Hield. All of those are really good players. So we feel like we have a deep team, adding those guys to our young group—[Trayce] Jackson-Davis, [Jonathan] Kuminga, [Moses] Moody, [Brandin] Podziemski. It just has to play out.

But I love the competition in camp. I love being able to say "The spots are available. Earn them!" That sets you up for a good camp and I think it sets the tone for a good season as well.

How do you know when young players feel a sense of ownership in a team, when they're taking on responsibility?

Every player is unique. In their game and their personality, and their fit. It's different for each one. Each of those guys has progressed at a different pace. Each has had different opportunities depending on who's been in front of them. We like them all.

Does your approach to the regular season vary based on the specific ambitions of that year or what your roster looks like?

Yes. We had a year in 2019-20 where we had the worst record in the league. Steph and Klay were out, and we had lost Kevin, Shaun Livingston, and Andre Iguodala. That season, we had a different focus in terms of expectations.

The focus you lean on is your values, what's important day to day. The process is the same. But the mindset shifts. You don't want to come in and throw the clipboard after your fifth straight loss if you know your guys are competing and giving their all. You have to keep them motivated and change the goal. Our goal that year was development. We had to get better so that once we were healthy, we could return to being a great team. That year helped us win in '22.

Jordan [Poole], that was his rookie year. Man, it was a tough year for him. But he worked and worked and worked, and two years later, he was one of our key guys in the Finals.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Steve Kerr espera una acogida infernal por parte de los aficionados de los Boston Celtics