NBA Finals: Steve Kerr will coach Game 2 for Warriors
A familiar face will return to the NBA Finals, as Steve Kerr is returning to the bench for the Warriors.
As the Golden State Warriors look to take a 2-0 series lead against the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday, the team will welcome back one of the most influential pillars on the Warriors bench:
Head Coach Steve Kerr.
According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, Kerr — who hasn’t coached since Game 2 of the Warriors’ opening round playoff series against the Portland Trailblazers — will take the reins from interim head coach Mike Brown in Sunday night’s much anticipated matchup.
Steve Kerr WILL coach tonight
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) June 4, 2017
Kerr took a leave of absence from the team after recurring back issues caused “excruciating pain” and plagued the coach for the better part of two seasons. In the 2015-16 season, Kerr missed 47 games due to back-related pain.
Kerr went under the knife again back in May, in hopes of correcting a spinal fluid leak that doctors believed was the root of the issue. The 2016 NBA Coach of the Year had previously sworn off additional surgery and advised anyone suffering from back issues to avoid the procedure.
“I can tell you if you’re listening out there, stay away from back surgery. I can say that from the bottom of my heart. Rehab, rehab, rehab. Don’t let anyone get in there,” Kerr told the Washington Post.
The Warriors organization had repeatedly preached that Kerr’s health was the most important thing moving forward and said the coach was not on any sort of timeline to return.
Sunday’s big development seems to signal that Kerr might be turning the corner and hopefully will be able to resume his roles in the league with less pain.
The Warriors seemed to be in good hands while Kerr was away. Interim head coach Mike Brown helped guide the Warriors to a 13-0 playoff run and coached the team to an NBA Finals Game 1 win against his twice-former employer the Cleveland Cavaliers.
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If there was any doubt that the Warriors didn’t already have the ability and momentum to win their second NBA title in three years, having Kerr back on the sidelines might be just what the doctor ordered.