Call him crazy, but coach Kerr likes where the Warriors stand

LOS ANGELES, United States – The Golden State Warriors may be on the brink of elimination, but the ever cool coach Steve Kerr isn’t worried. 

“I feel great about where we are right now,” insisted Kerr. “That may sound crazy but I feel it. I know exactly what I’m seeing out there and we defended them beautifully tonight.”  

The defending champion Warriors, who are vying for a 4th straight NBA Finals stint, trail the Houston Rockets, 2-3, in the NBA Western Conference finals series.

“We know what we’re capable of… a sense of ‘you’ve been there before’ is always a good feeling. We know what it takes,” said Warriors’ Draymond Green.

Golden State, whose streak of 16 straight home playoff wins was halted by the Rockets last Tuesday, will try to fend off elimination when they host Game 6 on Saturday, May 26 (Sunday, May 27 in Manila).

“I’m extremely confident that we’re going to take care of business.” – Coach Kerr on Game 6 pic.twitter.com/TYqn8D6rsY

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) May 25, 2018

The Rockets slipped past the Warriors, 98-94, in Game 5 to move within one win of reaching the NBA Finals.

“They’re not going to let you win on points, you’ve got to knock ’em out,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said.

“I thought our guys just hung in there, hung in there and found a way,” added D’Antoni of the game that saw 16 lead changes and had the Warriors lead by one going into the 4th quarter. “It won’t go down as a classic, but it should go down as a hard-fought win.”

The only downside for Houston was a right hamstring injury to Chris Paul that saw him limp off in the final minute. The starting point guard’s status in Game 6 remains uncertain. 

“We played well tonight,” Warriors’ two-time MVP Steph Curry said, “Just not well enough.”

Rockets star James Harden said the Rockets will be all business even as Houston now stands on the brink of the club’s first trip to the Finals since winning back-to-back titles in 1994 and 1995.

“For us nothing changes,” said Harden. “We just take it game by game, position by position, try to compete our butts off and give ourselves the best chance.”

The winner of the series will face either the Cleveland Cavaliers or Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals starting on May 31. – Rappler.com