The Golden State Warriors didn’t try to hide from their embarrassment in Oklahoma City.
Less than 24 hours after a 126 to 122 collapse against the Thunder, the team gathered at their hotel for what ESPN’s Anthony Slater described as “several extended meetings,” a reset session that players and coaches felt was urgently needed.
Those conversations set the tone for Wednesday night’s comeback win over the San Antonio Spurs, a victory that featured sharper execution, renewed energy, and a 46 point explosion from Steph Curry.
“We weren’t exactly panicking, we were six and six and there’s seventy games left,” Kerr told reporters. “But we needed to rediscover our identity.”
Golden State looked sluggish early against San Antonio, scoring only 14 points in the opening frame, but Kerr said the difference from the night before was obvious.
“Even though we scored fourteen points in the first quarter, I liked the process,” Kerr explained. “The ball was moving, everybody was sprinting into ball screens, sprinting the floor, getting to our spots in transition, competing defensively. It just felt like our team out there.”
Curry echoed that message, noting that the Thunder loss forced veteran players to confront uncomfortable truths.
“When you lose, you got to assess what’s going on,” Curry said. “Don’t be afraid of changes and then that means everybody being ready to adapt to whatever you’re asked to do. Especially with a team with high expectations, we’re not going to sit in a situation and just think that things are going to change on their own.”
The Warriors’ 16-point comeback against the Spurs was their largest so far this season, surpassing the 14-point rally against Denver on October 23rd. It seemed to validate the emotional reset.
Kerr praised the team’s response and acknowledged how stinging Tuesday’s defeat had been.
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