Steve Kerr on How to Win Game 7s and Perform Under Pressure
The Golden State Warriors’ performance in Game 7 on Sunday against the Sacramento Kings showed the character of a championship team in both how the Warriors performed under immense pressure and how they responded to a resounding loss in Game 6 on their home court. Steph Curry got the obvious headlines with his 50-point scoring outburst, but Steve Kerr’s comments after the game 7 win highlighted the championship DNA that’s been a hallmark of the Warriors’ dynasty the last decade and the process-driven approach that it takes to win in those highly hostile and competitive environments time after time.
Steve Kerr on what it takes to win a game 7
“I think that it takes is: just taking the game possession by possession, which our guys did beautifully tonight. Not thinking about the outcome. Just thinking about the process. And repeating. And repeating. And repeating. And breathing during the timeouts, and staying locked in, and staying focused. And our guys did that. But they’ve learned to do that through a decade of these type of games.”
Steve Kerr on the most impressive thing about the Warriors’ dynasty
“The most impressive thing to me…To do this for a decade - It’s incredible. The energy that it takes to fight off challengers year after year, and to have to prepare and win big games and doing it over and over again. It’s a reason why these guys are hall-of-famers and champions. This is not a one-year flash-in-the-pan. This is a decade that they’ve done it, and it’s incredible to watch.”
It’s so tough to be in those moments and have the ability to handle and perform under that amount of pressure, let alone experiencing as individuals and as a team for the first time. Sacramento had never been there before. The Warriors have built their legacy for a decade off of those moments. The mental approach and the readiness to be fully immersed in those moments of a critical game are what separated the Warriors in Game 7.
Kerr’s comments above pick up at the 2:40 mark of his post-game press conference from Sunday.
