Warriors coach Steve Kerr was less than pleased with his team following a 126-106 loss to the Pacers on Thursday in Indiana.
"I think just caring. Caring in general was the main problem," Kerr told reporters postgame (per The Athletic). He added, "It's hard to win an NBA game if you don't put forth an effort at all."
When asked if he was mad, the 2016 NBA Coach of the Year said, "Yeah, I'm mad . . . I'm embarrassed. I know this game doesn't mean anything in the seeding, but the playoffs start next week. It was an embarrassing effort."
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Steve Kerr roasts the Warriors performance as "embarrassing" pic.twitter.com/wUJdr6BWFz
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) April 6, 2018
Golden State's defensive effort was certainly lackluster as Indiana shot 53.8 percent from the field and 51.7 percent from beyond the arc. The Warriors turned the ball over 16 times and were outrebounded by eight.
Kevin Durant, who finished with 27 points on 34.8 percent shooting, disagreed with Kerr's assessment, telling The Athletic, "I thought we cared tonight … They played a better basketball game than us."
The 2017 Finals MVP added that the Pacers "came out with a better strategy, being more aggressive than us."
Indiana forwards Bojan Bogdanovic (30 points) and Thaddeus Young (34 points) certainly approached the game with aggression. In addition to combining for 64 points, the duo shot 75 percent from the field and Bogdanovic connected on six of seven 3-point attempts.
With the win, the Pacers became the first team to sweep a season series vs. Golden State since Kerr was hired in 2014
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Warriors reserve Shaun Livingston served as a voice of reason and echoed Kerr's disappointment. The 14-year veteran told The Mercury News that without All-Star guard Steph Curry, "it's important to have some confidence and rhythm going [into the playoffs] and the only way that we can do that is with our effort and intensity, and it wasn't there (Thursday)."
Despite losing four of its last seven, Golden State (57-22) has clinched the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. As indicated by Livingston and Kerr, the Warriors will need to approach the postseason with a sense of urgency as they pursue a second straight NBA title.
