Warriors' Kerr anxious heading to Cleveland: 'It was 2-0 last year and we lost'
As unstoppable as the Golden State Warriors look, it's too early to start planning the parade in Oakland.
At least according to head coach Steve Kerr, who received a warm reception in his return to the sidelines Sunday night before leading the Dubs to a 132-113 beatdown of the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 2 of the Finals. That gave Golden State a 2-0 lead in the series and extended its playoff winning streak to an NBA-record 14 games.
The reigning Coach of the Year - who'd been on leave since the opening round of the playoffs due to back surgery complications - was proud of his men for responding "really well" to Cleveland's adjustments from the previous meeting. However, he knows now's not the time to take their foot off the pedal.
"Well, it's been a great run, but none of that matters unless we can finish the job with this series," Kerr told reporters postgame, as quoted by ASAP Sports.
"We know, trust me, we know. It was 2-0 last year and we lost. So playing an unbelievably good, competitive team, dominant team. They have, what, two, three losses the whole playoffs. Now we got to go back there. This is where the series changed last year, so we're just trying to think about the next game."
The Warriors had taken the first two games at home against the Cavs in the 2016 Finals and built a 3-1 lead before infamously coughing it up and blowing their chance to capture two straight championships.
Following the historic loss, the organization made a huge offseason splash in signing 2014 league MVP Kevin Durant, who's since helped put the club in position to exact revenge on Cleveland.
Kerr, who said he felt great in his first game back, singled out KD's contributions, which included game highs in points (33) and rebounds (13). Perhaps most importantly, the All-NBA forward stepped up defensively while Draymond Green was hampered by foul trouble.
"I thought that Kev's defense was unreal, and it was probably the key to the whole game," Kerr said. "Along with the perimeter defense of Klay (Thompson) and Andre (Iguodala), trying to do their best with Kyrie (Irving) and LeBron (James), but KD was amazing."
Related - Watch: Draymond stunned by KD's defensive stats
Kerr did mention he wasn't thrilled with the club's 20 turnovers, especially after committing only four in Game 1, and said the Warriors have to do better in that department to be successful when the series shifts to Cleveland for Games 3 and 4.
"Heading to Cleveland, we're going to have to be a lot smarter. We play that same game in Cleveland, there's no way we win," he said.
Related: Cavaliers should slow down, not try to run with the Warriors