4. Mike Brown
There’s so much to look at here. Will Steve Kerr be ready to return to the bench for the Finals? He’s been out since Game 2 of the first round after further complications from a previous back surgery. At this point, it’s anyone’s guess as to whether Kerr will return.
In his stead, Brown has led to the Warriors to a perfect 10-0 mark. Sure many will look at this as a way to discount both Kerr and Brown. After all, a min-pin could lead this talented squad to the Finals, right? That’s surface-based thinking that should be thrown out the window immediately.
Kerr, after he took over for Mark Jackson in the lead up to the 2014-15 season, changed the culture within Golden State’s locker room. Whether it was Luke Walton last season or Mr. Brown this year, that has carried over when Kerr himself has been sidelined. It’s an extremely important point to make.
There’s also a secondary story here that must be taken into account. Mike Brown coached the Cavaliers for two different stints, the first one culminating in an NBA Finals appearance with a then LeBron James. It wasn’t until Brown departed the second time, upon King’s return to Cleveland, that the Cavaliers got over that hump and earned a title.
Much like there’s a ton of respect between Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich and this Warriors staff, there is also undying respect between Mr. James and Brown. In no way does this mean that both Brown and LeBron don’t want to come out on top for bragging rights.
On the court, not much has changed from when Kerr was sidelined against Portland in the first round. Golden State still pretty much runs the same offensive sets. Star players pretty much get a rest at the same time.
There is, however, one difference here. Brown has made a point of going to the pick-and-roll more often than Kerr. He does so on the rare occasion that Golden State’s offense is bogged down with a lack of ball movement (imagine that).
It’s a philosophy the Warriors can surely take advantage of with two lackluster Cavaliers defenders in J.R. Smith and Kevin Love on the court. If Brown is indeed calling the in-game shots, we can expect this to become a prevalent part of the Warriors’ offense. The same can be said for isos, especially when LeBron James is not guarding Kevin Durant.