After the Golden State Warriors lost two straight outings and failed to display a consistent offensive attack, head coach Steve Kerr turned to a small-ball lineup.
Kerr started Andre Iguodala and benched Andrew Bogut, inserting his sixth man alongside Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green.
The move paid off, since it allowed the Warriors to operate at a more comfortable pace. Golden State ripped off a 31-point first quarter, earned a 103-82 victory and evened the series at two wins apiece.
However, earlier in the day, Kerr told the assembled media that he wasn’t making any changes to his starting unit. During his postgame presser, though, Kerr admitted he hadn’t exactly been truthful during his initial media availability.
Understandably, the Warriors coach cited strategy as the reason why he lied. Tim Bontemps of the New York Post notes Kerr said:
“If I tell the truth, it’s the equivalent of knocking on David Blatt’s door and saying, ‘Hey, this is what we’re going to do.’ I can evade the question, which would start this Twitter phenomenon of ‘Who is going to start for the Warriors?’ Or I could lie.
“So, I lied. Sorry, but I don’t think they hand out the trophy based on morality, they give it to you if you win … sorry about that.”
At least he apologized.
The series returns to Oracle Arena for an 8 p.m. ET tip on Sunday night. Game 5 will be broadcast on ABC.
Photo: USA Today Sports