Plenty in reserve as Warriors’ Steve Kerr uses bench perfectly
Who was that leading the Warriors’ charge back in a thrilling come-from-behind win in Game 2?
Whatever the reason and philosophy, Steve Kerr has involved almost every player on his bench in almost every game during these playoffs.
The Trail Blazers looked like mini-champions, draining threes, making crisp passes, playing smart, team basketball.
[...] for the first time since Curry went down with a knee injury, the Warriors looked discombobulated.
[...] Ezeli — who didn’t play a single second in Game 1, was completely MIA — delivered an electric 13 minutes in the second half, scoring eight points, grabbing six rebounds, and swatting away a shot.
[...] he wasn’t afraid to do it.
[...] during the course of the regular season, he learned what every player on his team can give him.
In the 128 playoff games he played in his career, Kerr made three starts.
[...] Kerr knows from a player’s psychological standpoint how important playing time can be.
“Both coaches have shown over the years that they will play a lot of people; they’re not afraid to,” Kerr said.
When people play and they know they’re not just buried at the end of the bench, it strengthens the core, the fiber of the team.
The other part of “strength in numbers,” the fervent, passionate belief of the Oracle crowd, was at work as well Tuesday night.
The deafening roar propelled the Warriors as they periodically inched closer to the Blazers.
Without their MVP, the Warriors have shown how strong their fiber is, how the core is not one great player but a special team chemistry.