The globe wants to see Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors hit the 73-win mark—head coach Steve Kerr, though, says his team has the greater goal in mind.
The Warriors, 69-8, certainly remain on the right path with five games left on the schedule. The 73 would be a record, of course, but Kerr remains adamant the team isn’t chasing it, instead hoping to hit the playoffs well rested and ready to contend for a title.
He spoke with USA Today‘s Sam Amick about how he’s handling the approach:
We’re not really pushing for this. All we’ve said is, ‘Yeah, it’d be nice to get. We’d like to get it.
But if I were pushing for it, I probably wouldn’t be resting (backup point guard) Shaun Livingston and (center Andrew) Bogut, and I’d be playing our starters more. We’re just playing it out. I don’t understand if people are going to say that we’re pushing for this. I don’t think that’s the right word to use. We’d like to get it, but we’re still resting people and trying to get us set up for the playoffs.
The scary part about these Warriors? They don’t need the guys Kerr mentions to break the record.
Take Sunday night as the perfect example. The Warriors absolutely waxed the Portland Trail Blazers 136-111 despite Andrew Bogut picking up a DNP and Shaun Livingston adding just eight points. Curry went off for 39 and Klay Thompson added 21 in the blowout of a team that can supposedly make some noise in the playoffs.
Not that the rest of the schedule will come easy for the Warriors. They get the Minnesota Timberwolves Tuesday, then alternate against the San Antonio Spurs and Memphis Grizzlies over the last four games of the season. Golden State has moved past Memphis with ease in both encounters so far this year, but has split the season series against Tim Duncan and the Spurs.
Golden State’s record might hinge on how the Spurs decide to play those final two encounters. The final encounter against the Spurs goes down in San Antonio, though, so the Warriors will have to earn it, to say the least.
No matter how it shakes out, it’s interesting to hear Kerr speak as if the team isn’t trying for the record. They are, or more players would be gathering DNPs and he wouldn’t leave the decision to chase it in the hands of his players.
At the least, Kerr has the right approach. These Warriors sure wouldn’t mind the record, but he believes it’s a borderline distraction for his team with the playoffs on approach. He’s right in that regard so for Kerr, the sooner the regular season ends, the better.