‘I hope it doesn’t go unnoticed,’ Kerr on Warriors’ historic romp

LOS ANGELES, USA – The Golden State Warriors romped to their fifth straight NBA Finals to become the first team in over 50 years to pull off the feat.  

And coach Steve Kerr hopes the Warriors get credit since the only other team to reach 5 straight Finals was the Boston Celtics, when they went to a record 10 in a row from 1957 to 1966. 

“I hope it doesn’t go unnoticed or underrated – 5 straight finals hasn’t been done since the 60s,” said Kerr. “It hasn’t been done for a reason, it’s really, really difficult and so I just can’t say enough about the competitive desire of the group of guys that we have here.” 

Stephen Curry and Draymond Green both posted triple-doubles to power the Warriors to a 119-117 overtime victory over the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 4 to complete a series sweep and rule the Western Conference on Monday, May 20 (Tuesday, May 21, Philippine time). 

Curry (37 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists) and Green (18 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists) also became the first teammates in league history to have triple-doubles in the same post-season game. (READ: West champs: Warriors punch 5th straight NBA Finals ticket)

The Warriors will battle for the title starting on May 30 against either the Milwaukee Bucks or Toronto Raptors, aiming to become the first team since the Los Angeles Lakers to become three-peat champions (2000-2002). 

“It’s really hard,” said Curry after the Warriors battled back from 17 points down yet again versus Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum’s Trail Blazers. 

“It’s hard to win one playoff game, let alone a series [and to] sustain this level of success.” 

With veteran Andre Iguodala having joined superstar Kevin Durant and DeMarcus Cousins on the injured list, the Warriors produced a total team effort to rally again. 

Thompson scored 17 points while reserve Kevon Looney added 12 points and 14 rebounds and Alfonzo McKinnie chipped in 12 points. 

“Being without Kevin these last 5 games has put us in a really tough spot and our guys stepped up in a big way,” Kerr said. “The group has a fiber to them – when (these) guys go down they find a way to come together and compete and win.” – With a report from Agence France-Presse