Warriors reportedly had several ‘extended meetings’ after blowout Thunder loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
After a humbling 126-102 loss Tuesday night to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Warriors needed a fix in less than 24 hours to avoid another consecutive road loss.
Prior to Golden State’s resounding 125-120 comeback win Wednesday over the San Antonio Spurs, the team held “several extended meetings” at their hotel, ESPN’s Anthony Slater reported, citing team sources.
These reported meetings came after veteran players Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler were critical of the team’s efforts following the blowout loss to the Thunder.
“We weren’t exactly panicking, we were 6-6 and there’s 70 games left,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr said to reporters Wednesday after the bounce-back win over the Spurs. “But we needed to rediscover our identity.”
The Warriors shot poorly out of the gate against San Antonio, but Kerr saw an immediate improvement from the prior night.
“Even though we scored 14 points in the first quarter, I liked the process. The ball was moving, everybody was sprinting into ball screens, sprinting the floor, getting to our spots in transition, competing defensively,” Kerr noted. “It just felt like our team out there.”
Golden State, behind a 46-point performance from Steph Curry, went on to erase a 16-point deficit for the much-needed win.
“When you lose, you got to assess what’s going on,” Curry said to reporters Wednesday after the win. “Don’t be afraid of changes and then that means everybody being ready to adapt to whatever you’re asked to do. Especially with a team with high expectations, we’re not going to sit in a situation and just think that things are going to change on their own.”
The Warriors did not seem complacent Wednesday. Their 16-point comeback was their largest of the young season, eclipsing the 14-point comeback against the Denver Nuggets on Oct. 23.
“I just felt like we were connected. The guys were embarrassed [Tuesday] night. We were a little out of whack and this happens,” Kerr said. “…In the 82-game season, you’re going to have spells. But the important thing is to rediscover your identity and your competitive spirit, and that’s what I saw tonight.”
The rediscovery of that identity could have been a result of those extended meetings after Tuesday night’s reality check.
The Warriors look to maintain that identity in a Friday night rematch against the Spurs at Frost Bank Center.
Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast
Read the full article here
