"It takes brains and heart to win playoff games," said Kerr. "You showed a great deal of heart in that first half, now keep that up and don't forget the brains."
No worries, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and the "heartbeat" of the Dubs, Draymond Green combined for 86 points in the 109-98 win over the Pelicans. The four game sweep sends Golden State to the second round with the luxury of time for well deserved rest before facing either Memphis or Portland.
"We were fortunate to sweep," explained a very happy Kerr after his first playoff series as a coach. "The first three games all came down to the wire. Tonight was our best game of the series. I'm glad I don't have to see Anthony Davis until November. He is truly special."
After the game, Davis and Curry shared an emotional embrace. It looked like a reaffirmation of the weight they each carry on their shoulders. Luckily for Number 30, he has an amazing cast of supporting players. Something Curry never takes for granted, mentioning all his teammates as critical to the team's success.
"We played hard the whole night," said Curry as he listened to Warriors fans chanting "MVP" at Smoothie King Center. "It's surreal. We're on a big journey to win a championship. I'm just glad we got two wins on the road for these loyal fans. Now we can go home and rest up for the second round."
Just a little rest. There is a fine line between too much of a good thing. Kerr who has plenty of experience winning playoffs as a guard with Chicago and San Antonio joked about what he would do with all the free time.
"I'm going to cabo tomorrow," Kerr told the national press. "I won't see them for a week until sunday. Just kidding. The long extended rest is tricky. We have to balance rest with staying sharp."
Curry agrees. "I'm going to kick back with my family for a day or so. But then we will go back to work to get better and keep our rhythm."
Hard to believe Curry thinks he can get any better. Even Charles Barkley had to agree that the Davidson grad is the real thing, the MVP of 2015. His coach and teammates never doubted it.
"He's the best player in the NBA right now," said Andrew Bogut who also silenced his critics with spectacular defensive plays all night. "He's the MVP. The shots he made in the last game and this game, he keeps us in the games."
Curry doesn't just keep them in games. He proves that Coach Kerr can bring that championship mentality, of defense feeding offense, and make what was a good team; great. So far the Warriors have broken pretty much every franchise record, the only thing missing is the Championship, and that is now only 12 wins away.
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