Steve Kerr and the Golden State Warriors will go for their fourth NBA title in eight seasons Thursday night.
Golden State will take on the Boston Celtics on the road at TD Garden with a 3-2 lead in the NBA Finals following Monday’s home win. It represented the Warriors’ second consecutive win in the series and puts them on the brink of continuing their dynastic run.
In talking to Warriors players following Monday’s Game 5 victory, Kerr could have given the Celtics some bulletin board material. It sure seems like the three-time champion head coach guaranteed a Game 6 win.
“We’re going to get this in Boston. We’re going to finish this in Boston. Whatever Steph said yesterday, it still applies. Tomorrow we get our rest and get on the plane and go. Get everything you need done treatment-wise, hydration, eat well. We take all that stuff. Lock in.”
Steve Kerr to Warriors players after game 5
Kerr had to know the cameras were running when making these comments to his team. We’re also pretty darn sure that the Celtics took note heading into Game 6 of the NBA Finals.
Related: Winners/loses from Game 5 of the NBA Finals
Can the Golden State Warriors end this series in six?
Monday’s defeat at the hands of Golden State represented the first time that Boston has lost consecutive games all postseason. The team has a darn good chance of winning Thursday and sending this back to San Francisco for Game 7 on Sunday.
The Boston Celtics have a forecast 65% chance to win against The Golden State Warriors with a spread of -3.0/3.0 and an over/under of 227.0. The Boston Celtics are 1 – 1 against The Golden State Warriors in the 2021-22 Season. — Thursday, June 16th Golden State Warriors @ Boston Celtics
On the other hand, Boston certainly is facing an uphill climb when it comes to winning the final two games.
Steve Kerr knows he has “Game 6 Klay Thompson” at his disposal. The future Hall of Famer is averaging 31.3 points on 56% shooting from distance in his past six outings in this penultimate game.
Meanwhile, Stephen Curry is coming off a 0-of-9 shooting performance from three-point range in Game 5 despite the Warriors winning by 10.
Either way, Kerr’s comments will be a topic of discussion heading into Game 6 of the NBA Finals at TD Garden.